Daniel Kawczynski

We recognise that the events industry and its supply chain has been severely impacted by Covid-19. We continue to meet with the stakeholders, including through the Visitor Economy Working Group and the Events Industry Senior Leaders Advisory Panel, to discuss the specific issues facing the industry.

Events businesses can continue to make use of the broader support package available to them. This includes the Bounce Back Loans scheme, the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

We have worked closely with events stakeholders, through both the Visitor Economy and Events & Entertainment Working Groups, to develop Covid-19 Secure reopening guidance for the business events industry.

We are holding three business event pilots in September as part of our preparations to help the sector safely reopen and begin its recovery. If prevalence remains around or below current levels into the autumn, we will bring back audiences in stadia, and allow conferences and other business events to recommence in a COVID-19 Secure way, from 1 October. This step will only take place once we have a reliable scientific understanding of the impact of reopening schools on the epidemic.

Sports and physical activity facilities play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active. As announced on 9 July, from 11 July, outdoor swimming pools will be able to open and from 25 July indoor gyms, leisure centres (including sports halls) and swimming pools in England should be able to reopen. These facilities will be able to offer on-site services to customers, provided they are COVID-secure and follow Government guidance.

The updated guidance can be found at the GOV.UK website and includes advice for providers of pool, gym and leisure facilities on cleaning, social distancing, and protection for staff to help venues get back up and running safely.

Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. This advice will be reviewed in February 2021. Due to the uncertainty of when and how COVID-19 national restrictions will be lifted, at this time providing a specific date for the resumption of educational visits would be inappropriate. Further guidance for schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.

Officials will continue to work across Government, with industry bodies and sector representatives to address the issues arising from the COVID-19 outbreak and will help them plan for the safe reintroduction of educational visits, including residential educational visits, when it is safe to do so.

There are no plans for underwriting of school deposits for residential trips.

Schools are advised against all educational visits at this time. This advice will be reviewed in February 2021. Due to the uncertainty of when and how COVID-19 national restrictions will be lifted, at this time providing a specific date for the resumption of educational visits would be inappropriate. Further guidance for schools can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak.

Officials will continue to work across Government, with industry bodies and sector representatives to address the issues arising from the COVID-19 outbreak and will help them plan for the safe reintroduction of educational visits, including residential educational visits, when it is safe to do so.

There are no plans for underwriting of school deposits for residential trips.

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak, the Department has decided that exams cannot be held in a way which is fair. We have therefore announced that GCSE, AS and A level exams will not go ahead this summer as planned.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has asked the interim Chief Regulator of Ofqual, Simon Lebus, to find a clear and accessible route for private candidates, and those not in school this year, to be assessed and receive a grade. The Department and Ofqual have launched a two-week consultation on how to fairly award all pupils a grade that supports them to progress to the next stage of their lives, including consulting specifically on four different approaches for private candidates to receive a grade.

The consultation can be accessed from the Ofqual website and will be open until 29 January 2021. The Department and Ofqual strongly encourage all our stakeholders, including private candidates and their parents, to respond. We will continue to engage with a range of relevant stakeholders when developing plans for our policy on GCSE, AS and A level assessments in 2021, as will the exams regulator Ofqual.

The government recognises the value of before and after-school clubs, not only toward economic recovery in enabling parents and carers to return and continue to work, but also in providing enriching activities and development opportunities to children and young people, particularly those who are vulnerable. Therefore, we have ensured that these settings have been able to continue to stay open in the new lockdown for all vulnerable children, and for children of critical workers where it is to support critical workers to work, seek work, undertake education or training, or attend a medical appointment or to address a medical need. We have also ensured that essential youth services, such as 1-1 youth work and support groups have been able to continue for the duration of the national lockdown, to ensure vulnerable children and young people continue to have access to these valuable services.

We are acutely aware of the impact that COVID-19 has had on young people and the vital role our childcare and youth services play. That's why more than £60 million of the unprecedented £750 million package for the voluntary and charity sector has been directed towards organisations supporting children and young people. More recently a £16.5 million Youth Covid-19 Support Fund has been announced, which will protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country. This is on top of £200 million government investment in early intervention and prevention support initiatives to support children and young people at risk of exploitation and involvement in serious violence, through the Youth Endowment Fund.

In addition, the Youth Investment Fund remains a manifesto commitment for transformative levelling up across the country over the course of the parliament. In the recently announced Spending Review, £30 million of this was committed as capital investment for 2021-22. This will provide a transformational investment in new and refurbished safe spaces for young people, so they can access support youth workers, and positive activities out of school, including sport and culture.

We also recognise the financial pressures currently facing providers offering before, afterschool or holiday provision for children, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is for this reason we are strongly encouraging local authorities to support these providers using grants that have been made available to assist businesses that have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy has introduced support for small businesses in response to COVID-19 through grant schemes administered by local authorities this financial year (2020-21). Since the introduction of national restrictions on 5th January 2021, local authorities can use the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) Addendum from 5 January 2021 onwards to support businesses impacted by restrictions but not required to close. This scheme is an extension of the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) scheme but has been adapted for the period of national restrictions. The principal feature is that the payment period is initially extended to 42 days from 5 January 2021 rather than the 14-day payment cycle in tiers.

We have also encouraged all local authorities to consider what local grants could be used to bolster this part of the childcare sector in their areas, to safeguard sufficient childcare provision for children of critical workers and vulnerable children. This includes funding streams such as the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, aimed to support vulnerable children. The expanded programme, which comprises a £220 million fund to be delivered through grants to local authorities, will be expanded to reach all local authority areas over the Easter, summer, and Christmas holidays in 2021.

The government recognises the value of before and after-school clubs, not only toward economic recovery in enabling parents and carers to return and continue to work, but also in providing enriching activities and development opportunities to children and young people, particularly those who are vulnerable. Therefore, we have ensured that these settings have been able to continue to stay open in the new lockdown for all vulnerable children, and for children of critical workers where it is to support critical workers to work, seek work, undertake education or training, or attend a medical appointment or to address a medical need. We have also ensured that essential youth services, such as 1-1 youth work and support groups have been able to continue for the duration of the national lockdown, to ensure vulnerable children and young people continue to have access to these valuable services.

We are acutely aware of the impact that COVID-19 has had on young people and the vital role our childcare and youth services play. That's why more than £60 million of the unprecedented £750 million package for the voluntary and charity sector has been directed towards organisations supporting children and young people. More recently a £16.5 million Youth Covid-19 Support Fund has been announced, which will protect the immediate future of grassroots and national youth organisations across the country. This is on top of £200 million government investment in early intervention and prevention support initiatives to support children and young people at risk of exploitation and involvement in serious violence, through the Youth Endowment Fund.

In addition, the Youth Investment Fund remains a manifesto commitment for transformative levelling up across the country over the course of the parliament. In the recently announced Spending Review, £30 million of this was committed as capital investment for 2021-22. This will provide a transformational investment in new and refurbished safe spaces for young people, so they can access support youth workers, and positive activities out of school, including sport and culture.

We also recognise the financial pressures currently facing providers offering before, afterschool or holiday provision for children, as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. It is for this reason we are strongly encouraging local authorities to support these providers using grants that have been made available to assist businesses that have been adversely impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

The Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy has introduced support for small businesses in response to COVID-19 through grant schemes administered by local authorities this financial year (2020-21). Since the introduction of national restrictions on 5th January 2021, local authorities can use the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) Addendum from 5 January 2021 onwards to support businesses impacted by restrictions but not required to close. This scheme is an extension of the Local Restrictions Support Grant (Closed) scheme but has been adapted for the period of national restrictions. The principal feature is that the payment period is initially extended to 42 days from 5 January 2021 rather than the 14-day payment cycle in tiers.

We have also encouraged all local authorities to consider what local grants could be used to bolster this part of the childcare sector in their areas, to safeguard sufficient childcare provision for children of critical workers and vulnerable children. This includes funding streams such as the Holiday Activities and Food Programme, aimed to support vulnerable children. The expanded programme, which comprises a £220 million fund to be delivered through grants to local authorities, will be expanded to reach all local authority areas over the Easter, summer, and Christmas holidays in 2021.

The Department is increasing core schools funding by £2.6 billion this year, and £4.8 billion and £7.1 billion by 2021-22 and 2022-23 respectively, compared to 2019-20. This investment has enabled us to increase funding for primary schools by 3.2% more per pupil through the schools national funding formula (NFF) next year, 2021-22, compared to this year.

Every primary school will receive at least £4,000 per pupil next year, up from at least £3,750 per pupil this year. On top of that, all schools, will receive additional funds to cover additional teachers’ pay and pension costs, adding a further £180 to the minimum per pupil amount.

We are also increasing the extra support the NFF provides to small, rural primary schools by increasing the maximum amount they can attract through the sparsity factor to £45,000, a significant increase from £26,000 this year. This has contributed to small and remote primary schools attracting 5.1% more per pupil through the NFF next year compared to this. This is the first step towards further expanding the support the NFF offers small and remote schools from 2022-23.

We keep school funding under review on an ongoing basis and the NFF is designed to respond to changes in need, in order for us to target funding where evidence indicates it is most needed.

EU nationals and their family members who start courses in England in the 2020/21 academic year will remain eligible for undergraduate and postgraduate financial support from Student Finance England for the duration of their course, provided they meet the existing residency requirement.

It is expected that EU students will travel to England to study if it is safe and sensible to do so. However, where eligible students are prevented, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, from residing in England whilst studying on a designated course, they will be considered temporarily absent and, therefore, resident here. This will allow them to access financial student support and qualify for home fee status. This includes students who have never resided in England, but intended to travel here to undertake a designated course of study during the 2020/21 academic year.

Staff in the Department have been working remotely since the middle of March and have been focused on dealing with the challenges posed by COVID-19.

In recent months, the Department has been working to ensure all our buildings are COVID-secure and putting in place plans to welcome staff safely back to the office.

Phase 1 saw a small number of volunteer staff return to the larger offices in August. Phase 2 started on 1 September, opening up to 20% capacity across our seven largest offices. Phase 3 is being planned and will enable 30-40% of capacity to be opened up, including at the Department’s smaller sites.

For the week commencing 14 September, approximately 13.5% of staff attended one of our offices. Since the Prime Minister announced a new series of measurements on Tuesday 22 September, the Department has advised staff to work from home where they can. Offices will remain open to support those colleagues without easy access to high quality home working facilities such as those in shared accommodation, and for new starters and colleagues earlier in their careers in need of more support. This is alongside a number of our colleagues who have continued to operate in their usual workplace throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, delivering vital public services.

Staff in the Department have been working remotely since the middle of March and have been focused on dealing with the challenges posed by COVID-19.

In recent months, the Department has been working to ensure all our buildings are COVID-secure and putting in place plans to welcome staff safely back to the office.

Phase 1 saw a small number of volunteer staff return to the larger offices in August. Phase 2 started on 1 September, opening up to 20% capacity across our seven largest offices. Phase 3 is being planned and will enable 30-40% of capacity to be opened up, including at the Department’s smaller sites.

For the week commencing 14 September, approximately 13.5% of staff attended one of our offices. Since the Prime Minister announced a new series of measurements on Tuesday 22 September, the Department has advised staff to work from home where they can. Offices will remain open to support those colleagues without easy access to high quality home working facilities such as those in shared accommodation, and for new starters and colleagues earlier in their careers in need of more support. This is alongside a number of our colleagues who have continued to operate in their usual workplace throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, delivering vital public services.

We want to support all young people to be happy, healthy and safe, and to equip them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. To help achieve this, Relationships Education for all primary school-aged pupils, Relationships and Sex Education for all secondary school-aged pupils, and Health Education for all pupils in state-funded schools, will become compulsory from 1 September 2020.

In light of the circumstances caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, and following engagement with the sector, the Department is reassuring schools that although the subjects will still be compulsory from 1 September 2020, schools have flexibility over how they discharge their duty within the first year of compulsory teaching. For further information, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 10 June to Question 55660.

The principles of positive relationships apply as much online as they do offline especially as, by the end of primary school, many children will already be negotiating relationships seamlessly online and offline. The statutory guidance states that when teaching relationships content, teachers should address online safety and appropriate behaviour in a way that is relevant to pupils’ lives, including the importance of respect for others online even when they are anonymous. Within Health Education, pupils should be taught that although the internet is an integral part of life, they should understand the impact of positive and negative content online on mental and physical wellbeing, and how to consider the effect of their online actions on others and know how to recognise and display respectful behaviour online. The statutory guidance can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

To support schools, the Department is investing in a central package to help all schools to deliver these subjects. We are currently developing a new online service featuring training materials, an implementation guide and case studies. This will cover all of the teaching requirements in the statutory guidance. The first training module for teachers, covering mental wellbeing, is now available on GOV.UK, and additional content, including teacher training modules covering online safety, internet harms and media literacy will be added in the coming months.

We have also produced supporting information, Teaching Online Safety in Schools (2019), on how to teach about all aspects of internet safety, not just those relating to relationships, sex and health. This is to help schools deliver this in a coordinated and coherent way across their curriculum. This can be accessed via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy makes clear that part of that UK wide approach will be acknowledging that the virus may be spreading at different speeds in different parts of the UK. Measures may need to change in different ways and at different times.

Education is a devolved matter and it is right that individual jurisdictions take decisions in line with their local circumstances.

There are various factors including different school term dates and concerns about rates of infection that mean governments in the devolved administrations need to take the decisions that are right for them.

The Department engages regularly and positively with our counterparts in the devolved administrations to collaborate on our shared education challenges, including on the wider opening of schools.

There are many factors that contribute to flooding, including but not limited to the built environment. National planning policy supported by planning practice guidance are the responsibility of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in England. This enables the building of new homes and developments which are more resilient to flooding and ensures that there are clear safeguards for protecting people and property.

No development should take place until the developer has had approval, from the local planning authority, of a detailed sustainable surface water drainage scheme for the site. The drainage scheme shall demonstrate that any surface water (for all rainfall durations and intensities up to and including the climate change adjusted critical 100yr storm) can be accommodated and disposed of without discharging onto the highway and without increasing flood risk on or off-site.

These schemes can include the creation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), which reduce the risk of surface water flooding, as well as delivering water quality, biodiversity and amenity benefits, helping to make great places to live.

Planning policy ensures that SuDS are provided in all new major developments, unless there is clear evidence that this would be inappropriate. This is in addition to requirements that SuDS should be given priority in new developments in flood risk areas. A 2018 review of the application and effectiveness of planning policy for sustainable drainage systems found that 87% of the sample of approved planning applications explicitly stated that SuDS would feature in the proposed development.

Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) have responsibility for local flood risk management. This means ensuring risks of flooding from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses, where this is no district council, are identified and managed as part of a local flood risk management strategy.

In managing these risks an LLFA will work closely with other Risk Management Authorities. This includes the local highways authorities, who are responsible for highway and gully maintenance and water companies who, under Section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, have a duty to maintain public sewers to ensure that their area is effectually drained.

When flooding occurs LLFAs investigate, to the extent that they consider it necessary or appropriate, which Risk Management Authorities have relevant flood risk management functions and whether they have exercised those functions. These are called Section 19 investigations because the duty is set out in Section 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. LLFAs must publish the results of the investigation and notify the relevant Risk Management Authorities.

Water companies, specifically sewerage undertakers, have a statutory duty under section 94(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991 to provide, improve and extend a system of public sewers to ensure that an area is "effectually drained".

However, drainage alone cannot prevent flooding, and the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 ("the 2010 Act") establishes flood Risk Management Authorities (RMAs), to address the risk of flooding. The 2010 Act defines RMAs as the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Lead Local Flood Authorities, water and sewerage undertakers, highway authorities, district authorities and Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs).

All RMAs must act in a manner that is consistent with the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy. The 2010 Act requires RMAs to cooperate with each other and gives them information sharing powers to facilitate cooperation. They have flexibility to form informal partnerships and to act on behalf of one another.

In addition, the Environment Bill will require sewerage undertakers to produce Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans on a statutory basis which aim to assist such partnerships and collaborative working. Plans will fully assess an undertaker's network capacity and set out the measures undertakers plan to take to develop their drainage and sewerage systems. Undertakers started developing plans on a non-statutory basis in 2018.

Sewerage systems are used by water and sewerage companies to collect sewage (comprising both rainwater run-off and waste water from domestic, industrial and commercial premises). This is then transferred to sewage treatment plants for treatment before discharge to permitted water quality standards. This is a legal use of the sewerage system and it would therefore not be appropriate to impose penalties for this use.

Separately from the sewerage system, there are surface water drainage systems that collect rainwater run-off from roads and urban areas and discharge direct to local waters. Water companies do not allow sewage to enter surface water drainage systems.

During and after heavy or prolonged rainfall, the capacity of sewerage systems can be exceeded. When this happens, storm overflows act as relief valves to discharge excess sewage combined with rainwater to rivers or the sea. This protects properties from flooding and prevents sewage backing up into streets and homes during heavy storm events.

I met water company CEOs last year and made clear that the volume of sewage discharged from storm overflows into rivers and other waterways in extreme weather must be reduced. To achieve this, our new Storm Overflows Taskforce has been established, bringing together representatives from government, the water industry, regulators and environmental NGOs to set out clear proposals to address the harm and frequency of sewage discharged into our rivers and other waterways from storm overflows. As announced on 22 January, this Taskforce has agreed a long-term goal to eliminate harm from storm overflows.

The Environment Agency currently regulates water companies in their operation of storm overflows to ensure they only discharge under strict permitted conditions. Where discharges occur outside of these conditions, the EA investigates and takes appropriate action, which includes enforcement action if necessary.

The EA has brought 44 prosecutions against water companies in the last five years, securing fines of £34 million. £7.9 million has also been donated to environmental and wildlife trusts organisations in the same period through enforcement undertakings, a voluntary agreement which will include a donation to environmental charities to restore any harm done.

Flooding has a devastating impact on communities, businesses and individuals.

With localised flooding incidents, local authorities are expected to have well established contingency arrangements in place and to be able to respond and support their local communities from within existing budgets.

The decision to trigger financial support from Government is taken collectively by Ministers in the event of a severe weather events with significant wide area impacts. In reaching a decision, Ministers consider factors such as severity, duration and extent of the impacts. The reported impacts from Storm Christoph up until now have been lower than would justify activation of the Flood Recovery Framework of support schemes. We continue to monitor the impact on affected areas and will assess whether further support is needed.

During the unprecedented flooding in November 2019 and the storms which followed in winter 2019/2020, the Government announced Property Flooding Resilience (PFR) repair grants of up to £5,000 to help eligible properties affected by floods (homes, charities and businesses) become more flood resilient. The repair grants apply to those affected in district or unitary authorities that have 25 or more severely flooded properties. The grants are administered by eligible local authorities, with Defra reimbursing local authorities for grants paid for eligible properties. Local authorities are responsible for assessing eligibility of applications. The most recent figures show that 47 district or unitary councils with over 7000 properties are eligible in England for the November 2019 and February 2020 PFR repair schemes. This includes 458 properties in the county of Shropshire.

The Government has doubled the amount it invests in the flood and coastal defence programme in England to £5.2 billion over six years. This will better protect a further 336,000 properties including homes and non-residential properties such as schools and hospitals. On 1 February 2021, Defra published a Call for Evidence to explore whether any specific changes should be made to strengthen the assessment of local circumstances in this programme. This includes looking at potential changes to the funding formula to provide further benefit to frequently flooded communities. It will also explore further ways to increase the uptake of property flood resilience measures to enable householders and businesses to better prepare for flooding. The Call for Evidence closes on 29 March 2021.

Flooding has a devastating impact on communities, businesses and individuals.

With localised flooding incidents, local authorities are expected to have well established contingency arrangements in place and to be able to respond and support their local communities from within existing budgets.

The decision to trigger financial support from Government is taken collectively by Ministers in the event of a severe weather events with significant wide area impacts. In reaching a decision, Ministers consider factors such as severity, duration and extent of the impacts. The reported impacts from Storm Christoph up until now have been lower than would justify activation of the Flood Recovery Framework of support schemes. We continue to monitor the impact on affected areas and will assess whether further support is needed.

During the unprecedented flooding in November 2019 and the storms which followed in winter 2019/2020, the Government announced Property Flooding Resilience (PFR) repair grants of up to £5,000 to help eligible properties affected by floods (homes, charities and businesses) become more flood resilient. The repair grants apply to those affected in district or unitary authorities that have 25 or more severely flooded properties. The grants are administered by eligible local authorities, with Defra reimbursing local authorities for grants paid for eligible properties. Local authorities are responsible for assessing eligibility of applications. The most recent figures show that 47 district or unitary councils with over 7000 properties are eligible in England for the November 2019 and February 2020 PFR repair schemes. This includes 458 properties in the county of Shropshire.

The Government has doubled the amount it invests in the flood and coastal defence programme in England to £5.2 billion over six years. This will better protect a further 336,000 properties including homes and non-residential properties such as schools and hospitals. On 1 February 2021, Defra published a Call for Evidence to explore whether any specific changes should be made to strengthen the assessment of local circumstances in this programme. This includes looking at potential changes to the funding formula to provide further benefit to frequently flooded communities. It will also explore further ways to increase the uptake of property flood resilience measures to enable householders and businesses to better prepare for flooding. The Call for Evidence closes on 29 March 2021.

I refer the hon. Member to the replies previously given on 1 October 2020 for PQ 94381, 9 October 2020 for PQ 97520, 9 October 2020 for PQ 97519, 16 October 2020 for PQ 100332 and 24 November 2020 for PQ 115549.

In recent years, investment in defences has been effective at better protecting properties and reducing the impacts of flooding on people’s lives and livelihoods. We have seen progressively fewer properties flooded following recent incidents, avoiding more damages to people, businesses, landowners and infrastructure than might otherwise have been. In England, during the winter 2019/20 approximately 4,600 properties were sadly flooded while 128,000 properties were better protected from flooding.

In the last 12 months, the Environment Agency (EA) has completed around 20,000 inspections of flood assets that were damaged in the winter 2019/20 floods. The EA has a prioritised programme of repairs based on risk to lives and livelihoods underway. All of the flood defences damaged last year have either been repaired or have contingency plans in place to reduce the risk to their communities this winter.

Throughout the year, the EA has also continued to build and maintain flood risk management assets. The EA is on track to better protect 300,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion between 2015 and 2021. Between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, the EA worked with other Risk Management Authorities to complete approximately 176 flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes which helped better protect approximately 45,400 homes from flooding and 3,200 homes from coastal erosion. The EA is working through the River Severn Partnership to address long-term resilience.

During the flooding at the end of December 2020, 692 metres of demountable defences were erected across the country, 672m of which were in the West Midlands. 723 metres of temporary barriers were erected, 423 metres of which were in the West Midlands. This meant that over 9,300 properties were protected from flooding, with over 3,700 being in the West Midlands. The majority of these were within the River Severn catchment.

The EA has continued to engage virtually with communities at risk of flooding during the Coronavirus pandemic, adapting its approach by sharing scheme updates and consulting with local residents in a safe way.

The EA’s autumn Flood Action Campaign helped ensure that communities are better prepared and know how to check their flood risk with key messages around a three-point plan to PREPARE, ACT, SURVIVE. Over 1.4 million properties are signed up to receive free flood warnings.

Following the flooding in winter 2019/20 and again in February 2020 following storms Ciara and Dennis, the Government announced Property Flood Resilience (PFR) repair grants of up to £5,000 in affected areas to help eligible homes, charities and businesses become more flood resilient. The repair grants apply to those affected in district or unitary authorities that have 25 or more severely flooded properties.

The most recent figures (held by the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government) show that 18 district or unitary councils with over 2300 properties are eligible in England for the November 2019 PFR repair scheme. Over 29 districts or unitary councils (including Shropshire Council, which includes Shrewsbury) with over 5000 properties are eligible in England for the February 2020 PFR repair scheme.

In recognition of the challenges created by the Coronavirus pandemic, both the 2019 and 2020 schemes have been extended by nine months to give homeowners and businesses more time to carry out repairs and local authorities a greater period to process the grants.

Local authorities on the November scheme now have until 31 December 2021 to recover their costs while local authorities on the February scheme have until 1 July 2022.

The Environment Agency (EA) has published information on schemes along the River Severn via the following links:

• Tenbury Flood Risk Management Scheme: https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/west-midlands/tenbury-wells-flood-risk-management-scheme/
• Severn Valley Water Management Scheme https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/west-midlands/svwms/

The EA is having early discussions with community representatives. It is also working with partners to develop plans for engaging communities, businesses, landowners and members of the public for each of the potential schemes along the River Severn. The EA plans to engage with businesses, landowners and members of the public and will use a variety of methods in line with Government’s Covid-19 guidelines. Details will be publicised at the appropriate time and will include information on how members of the public can inform decisions on the potential schemes.

Information about each of the projects, which are part of the River Severn Partnership will also be shared on their website here: http://www.riversevernpartnership.org.uk

The first quarter of 2021 will see the completion of the Government’s six-year, £2.6 billion capital investment programme to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, which commenced in 2015.

Starting in April 2021, the Government will invest a record £5.2 billion in a new six-year capital investment programme. This programme will deliver around 2,000 flood schemes, across every region of England, and will better protect 336,000 properties from flooding. This new investment is the most comprehensive ever and is in addition to support to help households and business get back on their feet more quickly after flooding.

Alongside these key capital programmes, a further up to £170 million will be invested to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020/21 or 2021/22. Twenty-two areas across England will benefit from this immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus. This includes an allocation of up to £30 million for the Severn Valley Flood Risk Management Scheme, which is conditional on a partnership contribution being secured prior to commencement of delivery.

In addition, a further £200 million will be provided for local innovative resilience projects which reduce flood risk, this Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme will run for six years from 2021. The funding will help twenty-five local areas to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 December 2020, PQ UIN 125221.

In addition the Environment Agency (EA) continues to work alongside Local Resilience Forums to plan, exercise and prepare for responding to flooding. The EA is ready to provide its flood warning service and to deploy local flood protection measures and barriers along the River Severn.

The EA would welcome the hon. Member’s support to urge his constituents to remain vigilant and take steps to protect themselves from the risk of flooding by signing up for free flood warnings via Floodline on 0345 988 1188 or by visiting the GOV.UK website at: www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings.

The River Severn Partnership (RSP) is led by the Environment Agency (EA) alongside Shropshire Council. It has united local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, water companies through the Water Resources West group, the EA and Natural Resources Wales.

The RSP will deliver a long-term programme addressing water management across the Severn Catchment. This will be achieved through a proactive, coordinated and collaborative approach to flood risk management, water quality, environmental enhancement and an integrated approach to water resource management to deal with the impacts of climate change.

The EA is updating the River Severn modelling and flood mapping to incorporate the latest available data. The £250,000 grant-in-aid investment will deliver a completed model by the end of 2021. This new model will also deliver evidence to support the flood warning service, potential future flood schemes, and will inform our advice in response to proposals to develop within the catchment.

The EA in partnership with all other Flood Risk Management Authorities along the River Severn Catchment is currently putting together the next six-year Flood and Coastal Risk Management Capital Investment Programme 2021/22 – 2027/28.

The emerging Severn Valley water management plan seeks to reduce the risk of flooding from the River Severn for nearly 3,000 homes and businesses. The proposals aim to explore options of storing flood water to reduce the amount of water flowing down the river at times of flood, while also looking at ways to store it for use when needed.

The Environment Agency (EA), along with other members of the River Severn partnership, is investigating options to reduce overall flood risk and benefit communities along the River Severn, now and from the increasing risk of climate change.

The EA is also considering new approaches for managing the effects of too much and too little water, for example with the Severn Valley Water Management scheme, and land use practice in the upper catchment.

The National Farmers Union (NFU) is one of the partners in the River Severn Partnership and has represented farmers in a number of meetings where projects have been discussed. On 1 December, the joint chairs of the River Severn Partnership (EA and Shropshire Council) met the NFU to hear members’ views and discuss the early options appraisal work for the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme and to discuss plans for future engagement and consultation with landowners.

Over the winter of 2019-20 the River Severn catchment saw some of the highest river levels ever recorded. Unfortunately, 1,600 properties were flooded across the West Midlands. The Environment Agency's (EA) flood risk management assets prevented over 14,500 properties from flooding.

Since the winter floods, the EA has been inspecting and repairing flood assets where necessary that were affected by significant flooding. Despite the challenges of Covid-19, the EA has continued to maintain its existing assets and has dedicated teams in place to operate them 24 hours a day. It is also making sure our rivers are clear from debris.

In the 2020 budget, the Government announced a £120 million package to repair flood risk management assets damaged as a result of the winter floods. For the Severn corridor, the EA secured £4.2 million, covering 18 projects. Repair work to these assets is ongoing, but the defences will remain fully operational and will function as intended, including both demountable and temporary defences at a number of locations such as Shrewsbury and Ironbridge.

The EA has also been carrying out incident response preparation and training to ensure we can respond to whatever weather comes our way.

The National Farmers Union is a partner on the River Severn Partnership. It has represented farmers in a number of meetings where projects have been discussed, including the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme.

The Environment Agency and Shropshire Council have attended events with some local communities, however this has been reduced because of COVID-19 restrictions. Further engagement with all stakeholders and members of the public regarding project options for the River Severn, under the banner of the River Severn Partnership, will commence shortly.

The River Severn Partnership website is also due to go live imminently, which will provide further avenues for engagement with both the public and other stakeholders on any project proposals.

Progress on key schemes under the banner of the River Severn Partnership remains on course. While the COVID-19 outbreak has caused some minor impacts on delivery, the Environment Agency has developed safe systems of working to ensure that ongoing work on capital projects has continued. Site visits are carried out when required. Meetings with stakeholders have been carried out virtually. The deployment of existing barrier schemes and temporary flood barriers for communities that need them will continue as normal this winter.

The recent Budget announcement confirmed that the Government will double the amount it invests in the flood and coastal defence programme in England to £5.2 billion over six years from 2021, better protecting a further 336,000 properties including 290,000 homes.

The £5.2 billion capital programme will continue to be allocated in accordance with Defra’s Partnership Funding Policy. This policy clarifies the level of investment communities can expect from Defra so that it is clear what levels of partner funding they need to attract from other sources to allow projects to go ahead.

In July this year, the Government announced that up to an additional £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. The Government awarded the River Severn Partnership a significant additional investment from this fund which is providing up to £30 million for the Severn Valley.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

There are around 6,500 trained staff across the country, ready to respond to flooding. The Environment Agency (EA) may be responding to several concurrent incidents at the same time as adhering to Government coronavirus guidelines.

This year, the EA has completed around 20,000 inspections of flood risk management assets. The EA is making sure that any flood defences and equipment damaged during last winter’s flooding are either fixed or will have robust contingency plans in place. Around 160 projects will likely have contingency plans, such as temporary defences, in place that will ensure communities are well prepared for winter.

This winter, the EA’s Flood Action Campaign is asking communities to PREPARE, ACT, SURVIVE. Over 1.4 million properties are already signed up to receive free flood warnings.

Since winter 2015-16, the EA has invested in kit including 40 kilometres of temporary flood barriers and 250 high volume pumps.

Since April 2015 the EA has completed over 700 new flood and coastal defence projects. These include the Ipswich tidal defence barrier, phase 1 of the Exeter flood defence scheme and the Croston flood risk management scheme. Over 250,000 homes have already been better protected, working with partner risk management authorities. Of this total, 160,000 homes have benefitted from reduced flood risk delivered by EA schemes, and 90,000 homes at reduced risk through other Risk Management Authority led projects.

The EA is investing £500,000 in additional equipment and training to improve availability of its suppliers and specialists in flood incidents.

For part (a) specific to the Rivern Severn, I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I provided to his recent PQ 97520 asking “what steps his Department is taking to prevent flooding along the River Severn in winter 2020-21.” This is available at:

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-30/97520

The Environment Agency, along with other members of the River Severn partnership, is currently investigating options to reduce flood risk along the River Severn. As well as the potential for new measures, this is taking into account the role and lifespan of existing flood risk management assets and how these might be affected by climate change.

The lifespan of any new flood risk management asset forms a key part of the assessment of their benefits when considering the expenditure of public funds.

The Environment Agency routinely maintains its existing flood risk management assets and has dedicated teams in place to operate them 24 hours a day. So far this financial year 4,260 asset inspections have been carried out across the Severn catchment, ensuring they remain operational, protecting the communities they are designed for.

The Environment Agency, along with other members of the River Severn partnership, is currently investigating options to reduce flood risk along the River Severn. The partnership is taking a catchment based approach, looking at a range of options, both traditional and innovative, to better manage water across the Severn Basin.

The effects of any proposal, in terms of both its benefits and impacts, are carefully considered as part of the development process in order to ensure they are acceptable to all stakeholders and do not increase risk to others.

The River Severn Partnership (RSP) is led by the Environment Agency (EA) alongside Shropshire Council. It has united local authorities, local enterprise partnerships, water companies through the Water Resources West group, the EA and Natural Resources Wales.

The RSP will deliver a long-term programme addressing water management across the Severn Catchment. This will be achieved through a proactive, coordinated and collaborative approach to flood risk management, water quality, environmental enhancement and an integrated approach to water resource management.

The EA is updating the River Severn modelling and flood mapping to incorporate the latest available data. The £250,000 grant-in-aid investment will deliver a completed model by the end of 2021. This new model will also deliver evidence to support the flood warning service, potential future flood schemes, and will inform our advice in response to proposals to develop within the catchment.

The EA in partnership with all other Flood Risk Management Authorities along the River Severn Catchment is currently putting together the next six-year Flood and Coastal Risk Management Capital Investment Programme 2021/22 – 2027/28.

Around £400,000 Flood Defence Grant in Aid is being invested in the RSP area to accelerate potential scheme delivery in areas following last winter’s floods.

Ahead of this winter, the EA continues to work alongside Local Resilience Forums to plan, exercise and prepare for responding to flooding. The EA is ready to provide its flood warning service and to deploy local flood protection measures and barriers along the River Severn.

I refer the hon Member to the answers given for PQs 94381 and 97520.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-23/94381

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-30/97520

The next six-year Flood and Coastal Risk Management Capital Investment Programme 2021/22–2027/28 is currently being put together by the Environment Agency in partnership with all other Flood Risk Management Authorities along the River Severn Catchment including Shropshire Council.

This six-year programme will be based on indicative bids put forward in previous years as well as new project bids and will use the updated Partnership Funding rules recently published on the GOV.UK website.

Some of those projects currently put forward to form the next six-year programme include the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme, Tenbury Wells, Oswestry Surface Water Scheme, Beales Corner Bewdley as well as a large-scale Carbon Offsetting and Natural Flood Risk Management Scheme which has the potential to benefit the whole of the River Severn.

Indicative proposals at this stage in the process suggest the new programme could deliver 3,000 homes better protected from flooding. Business cases will formalise the outcomes that these and other projects will deliver in due course.

In addition, the Government funding announcement on 14 July secured significant additional investment for the River Severn Partnership, providing £30 million for the Severn Valley, £4.9 million for Tenbury Wells and £5.4 million for carbon offsetting work linked to the Partnership.

In July this year, the Government announced that an additional £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. The Government awarded the River Severn Partnership a significant additional investment from this fund which is providing up to £30 million for the Severn Valley, in addition to up to £4.9 million for Tenbury Wells.

The recent Budget announcement confirmed that the Government will double the amount it invests in the flood and coastal defence programme in England to £5.2 billion over six years from 2021, better protecting a further 336,000 properties including 290,000 homes.

The £5.2 billion capital programme will continue to be allocated in accordance with Defra’s Partnership Funding Policy. This policy clarifies the level of investment communities can expect from Defra so that it is clear what levels of partner funding they need to attract from other sources to allow projects to go ahead.

In July, the Government announced that up to an additional £170 million will be spent to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020 or 2021. The Government awarded the River Severn Partnership a significant additional investment from this fund which is providing up to £30 million for the Severn Valley, and up to £4.9 million for Tenbury Wells.

In addition, in March the Government announced its national £120 million package to repair flood risk management assets damaged as a result of the winter floods. £4.2 million will be for assets on the Severn corridor, which will cover 18 projects. Repair work to these assets is currently ongoing though, in the meantime, the defences will remain fully operational, including both demountable and temporary defences at a number of locations such as Shrewsbury and Ironbridge.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) River Severn river modelling and flood mapping is currently being updated to incorporate the latest available data, including information gathered as a result of last winter’s flooding events. The £250,000 Grant-in-Aid investment will deliver a completed model by the end of 2021.

As well as updating flood risk mapping, this new flood model will deliver evidence to support the flood warning service, potential future flood schemes, and will inform the Environment Agency’s advice in response to proposals to develop within the catchment. It is already being used to support delivery of the ambitions of the River Severn Partnership, including the Shrewsbury Water Management Scheme which has the potential to deliver significant flood risk, environmental, water resource and growth benefits. The scheme is in the early stages of development and has already benefitted from government funding of £30 million.

In addition, in July the Government chose the River Severn Partnership alongside three other places to test and develop climate adaptive pathway plans, providing £1.5 million of funding from the Innovative Resilience Programme. This will enable the Environment Agency to work with local partners through the River Severn Partnership to assess a range of climate change scenarios, and identify the right current and future decisions required to manage the risk of flooding and coastal change.

The Environment Agency’s River Severn river modelling and flood mapping is currently being updated to incorporate the latest available data. The £250,000 grant-in-aid investment will deliver a completed model by the end of 2021.

This new flood model will not only provide an update to the flood risk mapping but also deliver evidence to support the flood warning service, potential future flood schemes, and ensure safe development within the catchment. It is already being used to support delivery of the ambitions of the River Severn Partnership.

The next six-year Flood and Coastal Risk Management Capital Investment Programme 2021/22 – 2027/28 is currently being put together by the Environment Agency in partnership with all other Flood Risk Management Authorities along the River Severn Catchment including Shropshire Council.

This six-year programme will be based on indicative bids put forward in previous years as well as new project bids and will use the updated Partnership Funding rules recently published on the GOV.UK website.

Some of those projects currently put forward to form the next six-year programme include the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme, Tenbury Wells, Oswestry Surface Water Scheme, Beales Corner Bewdley as well as a large scale Carbon Offsetting and Natural Flood Risk Management Scheme which has the potential to benefit the whole of the River Severn.

Indicative proposals at this stage in the process suggest the new programme could deliver 3,000 homes better protected from flooding. Business cases will formalise the outcomes that these and other projects will deliver in due course.

Over the winter of 2019/20 the River Severn catchment saw some of the highest river levels ever recorded. While, unfortunately, around 1,600 properties were flooded across the West Midlands, Environment Agency (EA) flood risk management assets prevented over 14,500 properties from flooding.

Since the winter floods, the EA has been delivering its recovery programme. This is to ensure that all flood assets that were affected by significant flooding are inspected and repaired where necessary.

In the 2020 budget, the Government announced a national £120 million package to repair flood risk management assets damaged as a result of the winter floods. For the Severn corridor’s assets the Environment Agency secured £4.2 million, covering 18 projects. Ahead of this winter, EA flood risk management assets in Shrewsbury have been fully inspected. Repair work to these assets is currently ongoing. However, throughout this process the defences will remain fully operational and will function as intended, including both demountable and temporary defences at a number of locations such as Shrewsbury and Ironbridge.

As well as this asset repair work, and despite the challenges of Covid-19, the Environment Agency is continuing to deliver its annual routine maintenance programme for the River Severn. This helps to ensure any blockages or debris that may cause an increase in flood risk have been managed.

Over the winter of 2019/20 the River Severn catchment saw some of the highest river levels ever recorded. While, unfortunately, around 1,600 properties were flooded across the West Midlands, Environment Agency (EA) flood risk management assets prevented over 14,500 properties from flooding.

Since the winter floods, the EA has been delivering its recovery programme. This is to ensure that all of its flood assets that were affected by significant flooding are inspected and repaired where necessary.

In the 2020 budget, Government announced a national £120 million package to repair flood risk management assets damaged as a result of the winter floods. For Shrewsbury’s assets the EA secured £605,000, covering both Frankwell and Coleham flood risk management schemes. Ahead of this winter, EA flood risk management assets in Shrewsbury have been fully inspected. Repair work to these defences is currently ongoing, however the defences will remain fully operational throughout this process.

As well as asset repairs, the EA continues to deliver its annual routine maintenance programme for the River Severn. This helps to ensure any blockages or debris that may cause an increase in flood risk have been managed and that Shrewsbury is winter-ready, should further flooding occur.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 September 2020 to Question 90985.

[https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-16/90985]

This Government is committed to supporting our farming industry. Our ambition is for this country to have a thriving, self-reliant and resilient farming sector.

The Government appreciates that the food and farming sectors are currently facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and is grateful for the hard work farmers have done to maintain food supplies

In response to the pandemic, we introduced a range of measures to support the agriculture sector, including farmers and agricultural businesses in Shropshire. These included: easements to competition law to help producers get food where it was needed; a dairy support scheme; support for various AHDB promotional campaigns and the opening of intervention and storage aid schemes for various products. Employees in the food sector were also designated as key workers and there has been a temporary relaxing of the normal rules on drivers' hours, enabling the sector to keep supply chains running, including deliveries from farm gate to processors.

Farmers have also, where eligible, been able to apply for public support through the various Covid-19 related Government schemes including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, business rates relief, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.

Agriculture is a devolved matter and now we have left the EU each UK administration has the flexibility to develop agricultural policy suited to their own unique circumstances. There is much merit in working cooperatively with the Welsh Government and we are working closely with all the devolved administrations on an administrative agricultural support framework. The framework will cover cross border issues. There are many farms along the border between England and Wales, so there is value in working cooperatively with the Welsh Government and learning from one another.

Animal health disease control policy is a devolved matter. Defra Ministers meet regularly with their counterparts in the devolved administrations via the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. The UK Chief Veterinary Officer also meets regularly with her counterparts in the UK devolved administrations to discuss animal health issues.

This Government is fully committed to protecting the rights of migrant workers and ensuring that they are treated fairly in the workforce, including seasonal workers in agriculture.

In recent years, there has been tremendous change to wider employment legislation, which protects and benefits workers in all sectors of the economy. The national minimum wage has been raised and the new national living wage introduced.

A key objective of the Seasonal Workers Pilot, a scheme for non-EEA migrant workers, is to ensure that they are adequately protected against modern slavery and other labour abuses. The operators of the scheme are licensed by the Gangmasters Labour and Abuse Authority (GLAA). The GLAA ensure that all workers are placed with farms who adhere to all relevant legislation, including paying the National Minimum Wage.

We are actively monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 and related control measures with significant input from industry stakeholders.

We are urgently considering which measures could be put in place to help mitigate the impact of the current situation on access to labour in the agri-food chain.

The Chancellor has announced an initial £330 billion will be made available to support UK businesses. He also set out a package of temporary, timely and targeted measures to support public services, people and businesses through this period of disruption caused by COVID-19.

After the transition to a new immigration system in 2021, businesses will continue to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status and there will continue to be other flexibility in the system and the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has already pointed to the estimated 170,000 recently arrived non-EU citizens currently in low-skilled occupations.

The EU Settlement Scheme, which opened in March 2019, has already received more than 3.3 million applications from EU citizens who are able to stay and work in the UK – and people have until June 2021 to apply.

The government will introduce a new points based system from January 2021 which will include an employer-led route for skilled workers to enter the UK, both EU and non-EU citizens. The skilled worker route will not be capped, there will be no requirement to conduct a Resident Labour Market Test and the salary and skills thresholds have been lowered.

These changes will ensure that a wide pool of skilled workers will be able to come to the UK from anywhere in the world.

The River Severn Partnership is seeking to deliver a holistic whole water management approach to address both flood risk and water security as a means of underpinning local resilience and supporting economic prosperity across the whole catchment.

The Environment Agency (EA) is working with partners to develop a River Severn Strategy, building on established frameworks for the River Thames and Humber Estuary strategies. This will include modelling and options appraisals to identify a long-term programme of capital investment in water infrastructure across the whole catchment, including the tributaries of the River Teme, Warwickshire Avon and River Wye. The strategy will explore new and innovative fiscal models for funding infrastructure delivery as well as the ongoing operation of such measures. The comprehensive and holistic nature of the River Severn Strategy means that there are multiple potential partners and funding sources, and the EA is exploring many options and funding streams. Local partners have already contributed £300,000 to begin work on the strategy and this will be used as leverage in wider funding bids.

The Secretary of State was briefed on the River Severn Partnership by the Environment Agency (EA) during his recent visit to Shrewsbury where he saw the impact of prolonged floods and spoke with responders and affected businesses. The Government commends the great progress made in establishing a strategic coalition of partners from local government, business and the EA. The Government supports the ambitious plan to develop a strategy for water resources, flood risk and sustainable growth to ensure the climate resilience and future prosperity of the River Severn catchment. I would be pleased to speak further with the hon. Member and the EA as the initiative progresses.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Fly-tipping is unacceptable whether it occurs on public or private land. It blights local communities and the environment and is an issue the Government is committed to tackling, which is why we made tackling fly-tipping one of our manifesto commitments.

Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), which is a group of organisations, including rural and urban landowning groups, working with a common aim to help prevent and tackle fly-tipping.

The NFTPG is working with major landowners in England, such as the National Farmers Union and Country Land and Business Association, to increase the reporting of fly-tipping on private land. We are doing so through developing a mobile smartphone and tablet app to collect data to better understand the extent of fly-tipping nationally, along with the type and geographical pattern of incidents. This will aid the investigation of incidents and help target enforcement.

The NFTPG has published a Fly-tipping Partnership Framework, outlining best practice for the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipping. The NFTPG has also published a series of fly-tipping prevention guides for householders, businesses and landowners to help stop fly-tipping on their land.

We are also fulfilling a commitment in the Resources and Waste Strategy to develop a ‘Fly-Tipping Toolkit’ that will include guidance on local partnership working between landowners, including farmers, the police, local authorities and the Environment Agency, as well as guidance on presenting robust cases to the courts to ensure tougher penalties for fly-tipping.

The Union Connectivity Review is an independent review led by Sir Peter Hendy, the focus of which is on improving connectivity between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UCR is therefore focussing on national strategic transport corridors across the UK and I look forward to the outcomes of the review.

The Department has not made a detailed assessment of the benefits of electrification between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

Further electrification of the network will play an important role in our plans to decarbonise the railway between now and 2050. As we decarbonise the railway, we will develop individual schemes carefully to deliver both decarbonisation and other benefits in a way that delivers value for money and ensures affordability.

Midlands Connect is preparing a strategic review of options for speeding up and additional services to Shrewsbury. It expects to publish the review later this year and this will form the basis for specific proposals to improve the service. No formal assessment has been made by the Department at this time.

Electrification will play an important role in our programme to achieve our Net Zero 2050 objective. As we develop our rail decarbonisation programme, we will carefully consider the opportunity to support local economic development.

On 25 January 2021, the Secretary of State held a meeting with Highways England to discuss progress on the Smart Motorway Safety Evidence Stocktake and Action Plan. He has asked for a report setting out progress in delivering the 18-point Action Plan and identifying actions that can be delivered early by 12 March 2021, so any accelerated works can be rapidly put in place.

The Prime Minister has confirmed that when the current national restriction period ends, the country will move to local restrictions on a 3 Tier basis. Driving lessons and driving tests were permitted under the previous Tier 3 restriction. It is not yet clear what impact the new restrictions will have on driving lessons and driving tests, but the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency will update its advice on GOV.UK as soon as it has clarity.

There is currently no exemption for those with a recent positive antibody test.

For those planning to travel into England, they should check the current travel corridor list to see whether they need to isolate for 14 days. They will still be required to abide by the new national restrictions set out here even if they do not need to self-isolate on arrival.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november.

The Government is actively working on the practicalities of using testing to release people from self-isolation earlier than 14 days. The Global Travel Taskforce is working at pace to consider how testing, technology and innovation can drive a recovery for international travel and tourism, without adding to infection risk or infringing on our overall NHS test capacity.

The Department’s £20 million Low Emission Freight and Logistics Trial launched in 2017, supporting industry-led research and development projects, including for alternative fuels. The £23 million Hydrogen for Transport Programme, launched in 2017, funded the deployment of hydrogen vehicles and refuelling stations.

The Department’s Future Fuels for Flight and Freight Competition has made up to £20m of capital funding available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels to be used in aeroplanes and lorries.

The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation incentivises the supply of low carbon fuels to all modes of road transport, including HGVs.

Further plans for decarbonising freight will form part of the Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

The Better Deal for Bus Users commitments from 2019 included a commitment to fund £50 million towards the UK’s first All-Electric Bus Town. We hope to announce the bid(s) progressing to the next stage of the All-Electric Bus Town competition soon.

In addition to this, on 11 February 2020 the Prime Minister announced £5 billion of new funding to overhaul bus and cycle links for regions outside London. This additional investment will include at least 4,000 new Zero-Emission Buses. The funding of which will be announced in due course after the Spending Review.

Network Rail is leading development of a Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS), due later this year, that will inform decisions about the scale and pace of railway decarbonisation to 2050 in our Transport Decarbonisation Plan (TDP).

Plans for decarbonisation on the line between Birmingham and Shrewsbury via Wolverhampton, will be informed by TDNS and the TDP. Once the final TDNS is published we will develop business cases for each electrification scheme to ensure they are deliverable and affordable.

The Department is working with Network Rail and the rail industry to support Network Rail’s delivery of a Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS). TDNS will inform decisions about the scale and pace of railway decarbonisation to 2050 in our Transport Decarbonisation Plan.

In July this year Network Rail published TDNS interim findings. The report identified electrification as the preferred option to decarbonise rail traffic between Birmingham and Shrewsbury via Wolverhampton. Once the final TDNS is published we will develop business cases for each electrification scheme to ensure they are deliverable and affordable.

The Department has had no such discussions with train operators.

The Department does not collect data on CO₂ emissions on a route by route basis.

Rail is a comparatively green mode of transport, but the Government is working to further decarbonise and reduce the impact of air pollution.

Diesel freight and passenger trains in Great Britain created 1,848 kilotonnes of CO₂e last year. The Government will reduce these emissions through our ambition to phase out diesel-only trains by 2040 and deliver a net-zero transport system by 2050.

Diesel trains can also contribute to air pollution hotspots. The Department is working with Network Rail and the wider industry to monitor the impact that diesel trains have on air quality, to help us make improvements where they matter most.

Passenger demand flows between specific stations and on specific routes are not publicly available as this data is commercially sensitive. However, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish data on the estimates of the total number of passengers entering and exiting each station in Great Britain.

The table below, which includes the number of station entries and exits at Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, may be of interest.

Total number of station entries and exits, 2018-19 financial year

Data for additional stations and years are available at:

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage/

Passenger demand flows between specific stations and on specific routes are not publicly available as this data is commercially sensitive. However, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish data on the estimates of the total number of passengers entering and exiting each station in Great Britain.

The table below, which includes the number of station entries and exits at Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, may be of interest.

Total number of station entries and exits, 2018-19 financial year

Data for additional stations and years are available at:

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage/

Passenger demand flows between specific stations and on specific routes are not publicly available as this data is commercially sensitive. However, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publish data on the estimates of the total number of passengers entering and exiting each station in Great Britain.

The table below, which includes the number of station entries and exits at Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton, may be of interest.

Total number of station entries and exits, 2018-19 financial year

Data for additional stations and years are available at:

https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/estimates-of-station-usage/

Data from train and freight operating companies indicate that diesel train traction in Great Britain created 1,848 kilotonnes of CO₂e (carbon dioxide equivalent) in the last financial year (2018-2019). This figure includes bi-mode diesel trains, as well as diesel-only trains.

The number of reported personal injury road accidents, and fatalities on the A49 between the Bayston Hill junction with the A5 and Church Stretton between 2016 and 2018 are shown in the table below.

Detailed final statistics on reported personal injury road accidents in Great Britain for 2019 will be published on 30 September 2020. The latest annual published statistics are for 2018.

Rule 66 of the Highway Code recommends that bells are fitted and used as necessary, and the Pedal Bicycles (Safety) Regulations 2010 require all bicycles at point of sale to be fitted with a bell. The Regulations do not compel cyclists to keep a bell fitted to the bicycle after purchase, however, and the Government has no plans to change this.

• The regulation makes it mandatory for passengers to wear a face covering, if they are able to, whilst travelling on public transport in England. We are working closely with operators to ensure passengers follow this requirement closely but recognise that reasonable adjustments need to be made to allow people to eat or drink if necessary or they have a medical need to do so, to take essential medication, or there is a medical emergency.

• If someone is not complying with the regulations, operators have new powers under the Public Health Act 1984 to deny access to a service or to direct someone to leave a service if they do not wear a face covering when asked to. As a final step, operators are able to involve police, including the British Transport Police, where there is a clear breach of the rules without a reasonable excuse.

The ownership status of the national railway infrastructure in Wales and England is identical on both sides of the border, however Welsh Government have delegated authority for the Wales & Borders franchise and associated train services.

Rail links between Wales and England have been strengthened recently by the electrification of the Severn Tunnel, meaning that for the first time ever an electric railway will run from Cardiff and Newport in south Wales, through the Severn Tunnel and all the way to London Paddington.

The second Road Investment Strategy, published with the Budget, confirmed funding for the development of the A483 Pant-Llanymynech bypass proposal in cooperation with the Welsh Government. The case for constructing this scheme and others proposed along the border between England and Wales will be considered as part of future investment decisions for the strategic and major road networks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has suspended most driver testing for up to three months to support the Government’s efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. The DVSA has a reduced workforce but will continue, as a priority, to make tests available for those whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or who work in critical sectors such as health and social care. The DVSA is only using driving examiners who have volunteered to conduct these emergency tests.

The DVSA’s driving examiner training and recruitment plans are revised regularly and are based on the current backlog and forecasted demand for driving tests. The DVSA is continually evaluating the current situation and is working closely with key stakeholders from the car, motorcycle and vocational industries to establish how to begin resuming its service of providing driving tests. Driving examiner training and recruitment will be adjusted accordingly to take account of the backlog caused by suspending driving tests, and any future changed in demand for driving tests. Before practical driving tests are reintroduced, the DVSA will inform the driver training industry. This will help candidates prepare and reach the standard of driving needed to pass their test.

The DVSA remains committed to resuming testing as soon as it is safe to do so and in line with further Government advice.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has suspended most driver testing, including vocational and non-vocational car tests, for up to three months to support the Government’s efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19. The DVSA has a reduced workforce but will continue, as a major priority, to make tests available for those whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or who work in critical sectors such as health and social care.

The DVSA is continually evaluating the current situation and is working closely with key stakeholders from the car, motorcycle and vocational industries to establish how to begin resuming its service of providing driving tests. Before practical driving tests are reintroduced, the DVSA will inform the driver training industry. This will help candidates prepare and reach the standard of driving needed to pass their test.

The DVSA remains committed to resume testing as soon as it is safe to do so and in line with further Government advice.

We recognise that the Covid-19 outbreak has had unprecedented effects across the transport sector. The government has provided a comprehensive support package for businesses. This includes measures to support workers through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and support to businesses through the Covid Corporate Financing Facility, the Coronavirus Interruption Loan Scheme and the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme.

We are engaging with the transport sector on a regular basis to understand the impacts of Covid-19 on their businesses and providing guidance on how to access the government’s business support schemes.

On Friday 24 April the government announced a multi-million-pound support package for essential freight services, including up to £17 million for critical routes between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, up to £10.5 million for lifeline ferry and freight services to the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles, and further support for critical routes between Britain and the European mainland.

The Secretary of State for Transport also confirmed that the Department for Transport has been working with the Northern Ireland Executive to develop a support package which will ensure passenger flights from Belfast and Derry-Londonderry to Great Britain are maintained during this Covid-19 response period. This will ensure that routes which are vital for those who need to travel remain open. The Department is in discussions with the relevant airlines, airports and the Northern Ireland Executive to finalise this package, guaranteeing lifeline air passenger services.

In addition, government has provided funding totalling £167 million over 3 months to support bus services in England, to keep key routes running and to provide a lifeline for those who cannot work from home.

The Department has provided £3.5m development funding to Shropshire Council in 2019/20 from the £54.4m contribution Ministers approved in March 2019 for the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road. Officials will continue to work with the Council as they develop their final business case which is due to be submitted to the Department in December 2021.

Following the recent introduction of compulsory relationships, sex and health education in schools pupils will be taught that there are choices in relation to pregnancy with medically and legally accurate, impartial information on all options, including keeping the baby, adoption, abortion and where to get further advice. The statutory guidance is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education

We remain committed to supporting Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust’s Future Fit scheme and have previously confirmed approval in principle of £6 million of early funding to continue to develop the sustainability and transformation partnership scheme. Once approval is granted, this funding will be provided to the Trust in the usual way.

Further breakdowns of the provisional 2020 data are not available as we are reviewing and assuring the underlying data in advance of the annual National Statistics publication in summer 2021.

In England the Abortion Regulations require that Form HSA4 be submitted to the Chief Medical Officer within 14 days of the termination.

This information is not held centrally.

The information is not held in the format requested. The Department collects data on the number of procedures rather than the number of women treated.

Guidance published by NHS Employers states that National Health Service bank staff should receive full pay for all pre-booked bank shifts they would have worked had they not needed to self-isolate due to COVID-19. Trusts may also choose to pay bank staff in self-isolation on a ‘look back’ approach, where a bank staff member’s past earnings over a reference period would be used as a basis for calculating full pay.

Where a bank staff member needs to self-isolate and there is no way to assess full pay, due to staff not having any pre-booked shifts or insufficient previous earnings, trusts will need to assess what a reasonable benchmark would be to set full pay at. Guidance issued by the Government to employers states that they should use their usual methods for calculating full pay using agreed processes at a local level and in line with NHS terms and conditions.

All Care Quality Commission registered care homes in England are currently eligible for a combination of polymerase chain reaction tests (PCR) and rapid lateral flow devices (LFDs). As part of our updated guidance on regular testing, staff have provision for two rapid LFD and one PCR test per week and residents have provision for one PCR test per month. In addition, all staff and residents have access to ‘rapid response’ testing if a positive case is detected in the home.

The current tests are very specific and the risk of false positives where the test is reacting to other viruses is extremely low. Independent, confirmatory testing of positive samples indicates a test specificity that exceeds 99.3% or a false positive rate of 1% and additional guidance has been provided to laboratories to reduce the rate even further.

The Government does not hold centrally information on the number of people who have recovered from COVID-19. In order to publish accurate figures the Government would need to collect the number of people who have been infected with the virus and to track their subsequent recovery.

To increase the supply of doctors in under-doctored areas of England, Health Education England is working with partners including the Medical Schools Council to examine the possibility of redistributing some undergraduate medical places to medical schools in these areas.

The Department for Health and Social Care is working with Health Education England (HEE) to monitor these new cohorts in England throughout their degree and postgraduate training, to ensure that all places are sufficiently funded. The Department for Education is also making additional funds available through the Teaching Grant to support increased capacity. In addition, HEE is working with National Health Service providers to ensure that there are enough Foundation Year 1 and Foundation Year 2 training posts available at the point where these students have completed their education and are ready to enter work in the NHS in England.

Throughout the pandemic, Cornwall has consistently been one of the areas with the lowest infection rates in England. During summer 2020, we observed lower COVID-19 prevalence in all regions. Throughout the summer, measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 were in place such as the national test and trace service, restrictions on large gatherings, guidance on COVID-19 secure workplaces, social distancing, mask wearing and hand hygiene. Furthermore, the summer allowed for more outdoor activities and socialisation which pose a lower risk of spread of COVID-19 compared to indoor activities.

The Government has increased the number of funded medical school places in England by 1,500 over the last three years – a 25% increase. As part of this record expansion, we opened five new medical schools across the country. As a result of this action, this year we have seen record numbers of medical students in training.

The Government recognises that COVID-19 is having an adverse impact on higher education providers’ income and has taken action to ensure that all medical schools in England are adequately funded.

The Government has announced a package of measures to provide further financial support to all higher education providers. This includes the provision of additional funds available through the Teaching Grant to support increasing capacity in high-cost courses.

The Government works with the General Medical Council, the Medical Schools Council and Health Education England (HEE) to engage with and support all medical schools in England. This includes the five new medical schools in Sunderland, Lancashire, Chelmsford, Lincoln and Canterbury delivered as part of the Government’s expansion in medical school places.

HEE is supporting the new medical schools to teach innovative curricula and share good practice in medical education through regular meetings. Medical schools in the United Kingdom are seen as being at the vanguard of innovative teaching across the world in areas such as immersive technology, simulation teaching and provision of remote learning through HEE’s online learning platform.

The?Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who provide advice to Government on which vaccine(s) the United Kingdom should use, and which groups within the population?to prioritise.

The committee, in their interim advice - have advised that the vaccine first be given to care home residents and staff, followed by people over 80 and health and social workers, then to the rest of the population in order of age and clinical risk factors in the initial phase. The prioritisation could change substantially if the first available vaccines were not considered suitable for, or effective in, older adults.

The?JCVI?and the JCVI sub-committee are currently reviewing evidence on clinical risk factors associated with serious disease and mortality from COVID-19. Following a review of the evidence, the Committee will develop advice on risk groups for any future COVID-19 vaccination programme.

The National Health Service has made arrangements to ensure that women are supported and cared for safely through pregnancy, birth and the period afterwards during this pandemic.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women have been able to have one partner of their choice with them during labour and childbirth as long as their birth partner is well and does not have COVID-19 symptoms.

Guidance produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists is clear that women should be encouraged to have a single birth partner, who has no symptoms of COVID-19, present with them during any type of labour and birth, unless the birth occurs under general anaesthetic.

Rapid turnaround testing devices have been deployed across National Health Service acute trusts throughout the autumn period.

These devices with a quick turnaround time have been made available to emergency departments to support the management of non-elective patient pathways.

The Government has not taken any recent steps to ensure that endometriosis can be detected earlier.

The Government has recently received the Inquiry Report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Endometriosis, the report raised a number of important issues concerning the treatment and diagnosis of endometriosis which will be carefully considered as part of our ongoing work in women’s health.

Between 14 January and 20 January 2021, the median time taken to receive a test result from satellite test centres has decreased from 41 hours to 38 hours.

We are pleased to confirm that £6 million funding has been approved in principle to allow Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to develop their plans and produce a business case for this scheme.

The business case process is led by the Trust and includes a number of stages. The Trust are currently at Strategic Outline Case (SOC) stage. The SOC should include a range of options, including option/s within the original allocation (£312 million) and will go through a necessary process of assurance.

The Department will continue to work closely with the Trust to understand how the right support can be provided centrally, including any further early funding, to develop an affordable case for the scheme and to maximise the impact of this funding.

Once the final Full Business Case has been developed and approved, full funding for the build will be provided subject to the usual approval procedures.

We continue to support Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to progress the Shropshire Future Fit scheme.

As with any capital investment there is a necessary process of assurance to ensure the outcome is as intended i.e. it transforms services for the benefit of patients, as well as providing value for money for taxpayers. This process is led by the Trust, with funding usually provided when the Full Business Case has been approved. However, funding may be provided prior to this where appropriate to speed up delivery overall.

Recent improvements have been introduced to support projects centrally, for example a streamlined business case process with joint central approvals. In addition, our work on hospital design standards also provides a stronger approach to project delivery, to ensure that funding is reaching the frontline as soon and efficiently as possible.

The Department along with NHS England and NHS Improvement and Public Health England (PHE) are currently planning for the delivery of a successful COVID-19 vaccine if one becomes available. The extent to which this is rolled out, is highly dependent on availability and the type of vaccine. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently developing plans for the delivering of the seasonal flu vaccination programme. This will include new models for delivery. Dependent on the amount of vaccine which becomes available, it is likely that we will need to mobilise additional delivery arrangements and the workforce required to manage the volume of vaccinations. This could require a mass vaccination programme.

The Vaccines Taskforce, the Department, PHE, NHS England and NHS Improvement are coordinating the planning for settings individuals can be safely vaccinated within, as well as who within the workforce will be able to provide vaccinations against COVID-19.

It is vital to protect people providing and receiving care in care homes. To address the significant spike in demand for personal protective equipment (PPE), the Government stepped in to support the supply and distribution of PPE to the care sector.

We have made arrangements with 12 designated wholesalers to provide supplies to care providers registered with the Care Quality Commission. As of 21 August, we have released 192 million items of PPE through this route. We have also developed a new online PPE Portal to make it easier to request critical PPE, and all care homes have received an invitation to register on it. We continue to support Local Resilience Forums, having authorised the release of over 164 million items of PPE between 6 April and 27 August to help them respond to urgent local spikes in need across the adult social care system. To further strengthen the resilience of our supply chain, we have mobilised the National Supply Disruption Response system to respond to emergency PPE requests, including for the social care sector.

Following an initial round of whole home testing, on 3 July we began rolling out regular retesting to care homes. We initially rolled out retesting for over 65s and those caring for people with dementia. All other adult care homes are now eligible to register for test kits using the online portal and distribution to these homes began on 7 September.

Care home staff are offered weekly testing, while residents receive a test every 28 days.

Care homes should make provision, in collaboration with colleagues in primary care, to provide flu vaccination sessions for residents in a timely manner.

Primary care providers are being incentivised to work together across primary care network footprints to pool resources and collaborate to vaccinate more people. This includes the provision into care homes for both residents and staff.

During the suspension of routine dentistry during the pandemic peak there was almost no demand for dental laboratory products. Demand continues to be significantly reduced post lock down as there is continued reduced activity in both National Health Service and private dentistry due to the need for heightened infection controls.

Dental laboratories do not receive funding from the NHS. Dentists, whether NHS or private, contract directly with laboratories as third party suppliers. It is therefore not possible for the NHS to direct NHS funding to laboratories for work not commissioned by dentists. However as private companies, laboratories were and are entitled to the full range of financial support from the Treasury available to private sector businesses and individuals affected financially by COVID-19.

From 1 May, NHS England and NHS Improvement put in place a comprehensive package of primary care support to care homes in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including all care homes having a named clinical lead. NHS clinical commissioning groups were asked to take immediate steps to implement consistent weekly care home ‘check ins’ (carried out remotely wherever appropriate) in order to review patients identified as a clinical priority for assessment and care, drawing on general practice and community services staff.

The Government has provided clear guidance and communications on when and how to wear a face covering and will continue to communicate this guidance to the public and stakeholders as necessary over the coming months.

Messaging around exemptions is included as a key part of Government communications on when and how to wear a face covering. The Government also continues to engage with stakeholders and charities on the issue of exemptions to support these groups. In addition, the Government is running a major proactive communications campaign on face coverings to alert the public where they are now required to wear face coverings and educate the public on how to correctly wear one.

We are currently looking at ways in which we can support people who would be more comfortable to show they are exempt from the requirement to wear face covering, using some form of optional visual cue. Those who are exempt from the regulations will be permitted to go into supermarkets and shops without wearing a face covering.

People do not need to prove they have an exemption. Staff and employees are expected to act reasonably and not challenge people on why they are not wearing a covering.

We will continue to support Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to progress the Shropshire Future Fit scheme, including identifying suitable acceleration opportunities to speed up delivery overall. This could include providing funding for enabling works to allow construction to begin in advance of Full Business Case approval.

Recent improvements have been introduced to support projects centrally, for example a streamlined business case process with joint central approvals. In addition, our work on hospital design standards also provides a stronger approach to project delivery, to ensure that funding is reaching the frontline as soon and efficiently as possible.

We recognise the crucial role unpaid carers play, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak and the important role that day services play to provide care, and respite for carers.

Decisions on the running and re-opening of day services are made on a local basis. The Social Care Institute of Excellence has worked with the Department, local government and other key sector partners, to produce guidance which will support local authorities and providers to restart day services. This was published on 10 July. In addition, Public Health England is developing guidance on the use of personal protective equipment in community settings, which will be applicable to day services.

Since the start of this pandemic we have been working closely with the sector and public health experts to put in place guidance and support for adult social care. On 15 April we published our detailed Adult Social Care Plan.

On 15 May, we published our care home support package. This responded to the latest evidence from Public Health England and recommended further measures care homes could take to minimise the risks of the virus including by limiting movement of staff. It was backed by a new £600 million Infection Control Fund for care homes to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

We have also made £3.7 billion available to local authorities so they can address pressures on local services caused by the pandemic, including in adult social care.

For the current financial year, we are not planning on the assumption that such additional funding is necessary. Funding for patients from Wales comes from the Welsh National Health Service commissioners. This is normally via the English national tariff with recent work to agree that from this year the tariff uplift will be paid in full, with NHS Wales fully engaged in tariff setting arrangements for England. However, as part of the COVID-19 response, tariff payments are currently replaced by block payment arrangements, with NHS Wales following suit.

As health is a devolved issue, the Welsh Government is responsible for determining any investment in new hospitals in Wales.

For the National Health Service in England, the Government is committed to building 40 new hospitals as part of the Health Infrastructure Plan announced in September 2019, which includes a long-term programme of investment in new NHS hospitals.

Dentists contract with NHS England and NHS Improvement to deliver a given annual level of service in return for an agreed contract value. NHS England and NHS Improvement made an early decision in late March to continue full funding for National Health Service dental contracts despite all routine dentistry being suspended. During the restart period which began on 8 June full funding continues and activity requirements continue to be suspended. Dental practices are therefore able to gradually restart while still receiving their full NHS funding.

The country is well prepared to deal with any impacts of COVID-19 and we have stockpiles of generic drugs in the event of any supply issues or significant increases in demand.

The Government does not set prices of generic medicines. Instead we rely on competition to drive prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the United Kingdom can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.

The Department is working closely with industry, the National Health Service and others in the supply chain to help ensure patients can access the medicines they need, and precautions are in place to reduce the likelihood of future shortages.

The steps being taken to protect UK supplies in response to the COVID-19 outbreak were set out in the Department’s press statement issued on 11 February 2020. This statement is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-monitor-impact-of-coronavirus-on-uk-medicine-supply

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has not had discussions since 1 March 2020 with the Chief Executive of Royal Shrewsbury Future Fit programme on its accident and emergency service figures.

Data on funding allocated to the National Health Service to support people with alcohol addiction problems is not held centrally. Treatment for alcohol addiction is funded and provided by local authorities through the provision of the Public Health Grant. The grant is ring-fenced and subject to the conditions that it is to be used exclusively for the uptake and improvement of public health services, including alcohol treatment. £16 billion was made available over the period of the last spending review (2016/20) to be spent exclusively on public health services; and an additional £3.1 billion has been made available for the period 2019/20 for the same purpose. The grant will increase in real terms in 2020/21, which will enable local authorities to continue to invest in prevention and essential frontline health services.

I refer the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham to the answer I gave on 28 January 2020 to Question 5372.

I refer the hon. Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham to the answer I gave on 21 January 2020 to Question 2452.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 28 January 2020 to Question 5374.

In March 2018 the Government backed the Future Fit proposals with £312 million. Release of this funding is subject to the usual business case approvals process, which includes approval by Departmental Ministers and HM Treasury.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has formal decision-making powers relating to service change under Regulation 23(9) of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny Regulations) 2013. Where a local authority has referred a reconfiguration to him, the Secretary of State may make a final decision on the proposals and give directions to NHS England and NHS Improvement. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision that the Future Fit proposals should proceed, whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital open as an A&E Local. On 6 January 2020, he also directed NHS England to work with the clinical commissioning groups and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to implement the A&E Local model.

The National Health Service has made recommendations on the legislation changes it would like to see and the Department is considering those proposals.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust has faced staffing challenges in A&E departments and critical care services. Both this and an increase in attendances at the Emergency Department has resulted in doctors being on-call more frequently and working extra hours across two hospital sites. It has also been necessary to recruit temporary staff.

For the month of December 2019, 14.38% of nursing hours worked across both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital, were staffed from agency.

The reconfiguration will address staffing challenges, by consolidating some emergency services onto one site and reducing duplication. The Future Fit proposals aim to deliver high quality, safe services for all patients for the long term. Achieving this will support the recruitment of the right level of highly skilled doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.

In March 2018 the Government backed the Future Fit proposals with £312 million. Release of this funding is subject to the usual business case approvals process, which includes approval by Departmental Ministers and HM Treasury.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has formal decision-making powers relating to service change under Regulation 23(9) of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny Regulations) 2013. Where a local authority has referred a reconfiguration to him, the Secretary of State may make a final decision on the proposals and give directions to NHS England and NHS Improvement. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision that the Future Fit proposals should proceed, whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital open as an A&E Local. On 6 January 2020, he also directed NHS England to work with the clinical commissioning groups and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to implement the A&E Local model.

The National Health Service has made recommendations on the legislation changes it would like to see and the Department is considering those proposals.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust has faced staffing challenges in A&E departments and critical care services. Both this and an increase in attendances at the Emergency Department has resulted in doctors being on-call more frequently and working extra hours across two hospital sites. It has also been necessary to recruit temporary staff.

For the month of December 2019, 14.38% of nursing hours worked across both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital, were staffed from agency.

The reconfiguration will address staffing challenges, by consolidating some emergency services onto one site and reducing duplication. The Future Fit proposals aim to deliver high quality, safe services for all patients for the long term. Achieving this will support the recruitment of the right level of highly skilled doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.

In March 2018 the Government backed the Future Fit proposals with £312 million. Release of this funding is subject to the usual business case approvals process, which includes approval by Departmental Ministers and HM Treasury.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has formal decision-making powers relating to service change under Regulation 23(9) of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny Regulations) 2013. Where a local authority has referred a reconfiguration to him, the Secretary of State may make a final decision on the proposals and give directions to NHS England and NHS Improvement. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision that the Future Fit proposals should proceed, whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital open as an A&E Local. On 6 January 2020, he also directed NHS England to work with the clinical commissioning groups and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to implement the A&E Local model.

The National Health Service has made recommendations on the legislation changes it would like to see and the Department is considering those proposals.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust has faced staffing challenges in A&E departments and critical care services. Both this and an increase in attendances at the Emergency Department has resulted in doctors being on-call more frequently and working extra hours across two hospital sites. It has also been necessary to recruit temporary staff.

For the month of December 2019, 14.38% of nursing hours worked across both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital, were staffed from agency.

The reconfiguration will address staffing challenges, by consolidating some emergency services onto one site and reducing duplication. The Future Fit proposals aim to deliver high quality, safe services for all patients for the long term. Achieving this will support the recruitment of the right level of highly skilled doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.

In March 2018 the Government backed the Future Fit proposals with £312 million. Release of this funding is subject to the usual business case approvals process, which includes approval by Departmental Ministers and HM Treasury.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has formal decision-making powers relating to service change under Regulation 23(9) of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny Regulations) 2013. Where a local authority has referred a reconfiguration to him, the Secretary of State may make a final decision on the proposals and give directions to NHS England and NHS Improvement. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision that the Future Fit proposals should proceed, whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital open as an A&E Local. On 6 January 2020, he also directed NHS England to work with the clinical commissioning groups and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to implement the A&E Local model.

The National Health Service has made recommendations on the legislation changes it would like to see and the Department is considering those proposals.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust has faced staffing challenges in A&E departments and critical care services. Both this and an increase in attendances at the Emergency Department has resulted in doctors being on-call more frequently and working extra hours across two hospital sites. It has also been necessary to recruit temporary staff.

For the month of December 2019, 14.38% of nursing hours worked across both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital, were staffed from agency.

The reconfiguration will address staffing challenges, by consolidating some emergency services onto one site and reducing duplication. The Future Fit proposals aim to deliver high quality, safe services for all patients for the long term. Achieving this will support the recruitment of the right level of highly skilled doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.

In March 2018 the Government backed the Future Fit proposals with £312 million. Release of this funding is subject to the usual business case approvals process, which includes approval by Departmental Ministers and HM Treasury.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has formal decision-making powers relating to service change under Regulation 23(9) of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny Regulations) 2013. Where a local authority has referred a reconfiguration to him, the Secretary of State may make a final decision on the proposals and give directions to NHS England and NHS Improvement. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision that the Future Fit proposals should proceed, whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital open as an A&E Local. On 6 January 2020, he also directed NHS England to work with the clinical commissioning groups and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) to implement the A&E Local model.

The National Health Service has made recommendations on the legislation changes it would like to see and the Department is considering those proposals.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust has faced staffing challenges in A&E departments and critical care services. Both this and an increase in attendances at the Emergency Department has resulted in doctors being on-call more frequently and working extra hours across two hospital sites. It has also been necessary to recruit temporary staff.

For the month of December 2019, 14.38% of nursing hours worked across both the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Princess Royal Hospital, were staffed from agency.

The reconfiguration will address staffing challenges, by consolidating some emergency services onto one site and reducing duplication. The Future Fit proposals aim to deliver high quality, safe services for all patients for the long term. Achieving this will support the recruitment of the right level of highly skilled doctors, nurses and other healthcare staff.

The interviews for the Chief Executive Officer for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust are taking place in January and an announcement will be made once an appointment has been confirmed.

The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has brought together all National Health Service and local authority organisations across the area served by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s two hospital sites. The STP has already brought the Future Fit hospital programme under its auspices as one element of the work to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. All STP members understand the critical interdependencies between primary and community care and acute hospital care, and the need to integrate services. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Long Term Plan sets out plans to implement the out of hospital transformation.

The Future Fit consultation has been subject to a robust assurance process and a thorough review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The long-term health benefits of the scheme include:

- Retention of a Trauma Unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH);

- Fewer cancellations of patients’ operations due to an emergency admission, as emergency and planned care will be separated;

- Access to non-complex planned care for 75% of patients within 30 minutes by car, and fewer people having to travel further for emergency care;

- Reduction in waiting times and the time patients spend in hospital;

- Improved services for the older population in Shropshire and mid-Wales;

- Improved facilities for patients and staff;

- Development of an integrated care system that joins up health and social care, transforming out of hospital care which integrates community place based, primary care, mental health, community services, social care and the voluntary sector; and

- The ability to develop a system infrastructure that makes the best use of resources, reduces duplication and achieves financial stability.

As part of the planning phase of the Future Fit programme, a Programme Execution Plan was agreed for the Future Fit Programme in 2013, with phase 1 commencing in October 2013.

The long-term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration will be identified as part of the business case process. The Strategic Outline Case is in development and is yet to be approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department.

The interviews for the Chief Executive Officer for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust are taking place in January and an announcement will be made once an appointment has been confirmed.

The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has brought together all National Health Service and local authority organisations across the area served by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s two hospital sites. The STP has already brought the Future Fit hospital programme under its auspices as one element of the work to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. All STP members understand the critical interdependencies between primary and community care and acute hospital care, and the need to integrate services. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Long Term Plan sets out plans to implement the out of hospital transformation.

The Future Fit consultation has been subject to a robust assurance process and a thorough review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The long-term health benefits of the scheme include:

- Retention of a Trauma Unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH);

- Fewer cancellations of patients’ operations due to an emergency admission, as emergency and planned care will be separated;

- Access to non-complex planned care for 75% of patients within 30 minutes by car, and fewer people having to travel further for emergency care;

- Reduction in waiting times and the time patients spend in hospital;

- Improved services for the older population in Shropshire and mid-Wales;

- Improved facilities for patients and staff;

- Development of an integrated care system that joins up health and social care, transforming out of hospital care which integrates community place based, primary care, mental health, community services, social care and the voluntary sector; and

- The ability to develop a system infrastructure that makes the best use of resources, reduces duplication and achieves financial stability.

As part of the planning phase of the Future Fit programme, a Programme Execution Plan was agreed for the Future Fit Programme in 2013, with phase 1 commencing in October 2013.

The long-term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration will be identified as part of the business case process. The Strategic Outline Case is in development and is yet to be approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department.

The interviews for the Chief Executive Officer for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust are taking place in January and an announcement will be made once an appointment has been confirmed.

The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has brought together all National Health Service and local authority organisations across the area served by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s two hospital sites. The STP has already brought the Future Fit hospital programme under its auspices as one element of the work to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. All STP members understand the critical interdependencies between primary and community care and acute hospital care, and the need to integrate services. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Long Term Plan sets out plans to implement the out of hospital transformation.

The Future Fit consultation has been subject to a robust assurance process and a thorough review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The long-term health benefits of the scheme include:

- Retention of a Trauma Unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH);

- Fewer cancellations of patients’ operations due to an emergency admission, as emergency and planned care will be separated;

- Access to non-complex planned care for 75% of patients within 30 minutes by car, and fewer people having to travel further for emergency care;

- Reduction in waiting times and the time patients spend in hospital;

- Improved services for the older population in Shropshire and mid-Wales;

- Improved facilities for patients and staff;

- Development of an integrated care system that joins up health and social care, transforming out of hospital care which integrates community place based, primary care, mental health, community services, social care and the voluntary sector; and

- The ability to develop a system infrastructure that makes the best use of resources, reduces duplication and achieves financial stability.

As part of the planning phase of the Future Fit programme, a Programme Execution Plan was agreed for the Future Fit Programme in 2013, with phase 1 commencing in October 2013.

The long-term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration will be identified as part of the business case process. The Strategic Outline Case is in development and is yet to be approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department.

In September 2019 the Government launched a new Health Infrastructure Plan (HIP), which will deliver a long-term, strategic investment in the future of the National Health Service, including a new hospital building programme – through which the Government plans to build 40 new hospitals over the next 10 years.

The full shape of the HIP investment programme will be confirmed when the Department receives a multiyear capital settlement at the next capital review. In the meantime, the Secretary of State has confirmed that there will be opportunities for the NHS to put forward further new hospital projects for the next phases of the programme, and that Trusts should continue developing their plans and priorities for local NHS infrastructure.

In terms of sources of finance, the Government has launched the Infrastructure Finance Review (IFR) that is looking closely at private sector finance for public sector infrastructure. HM Treasury are aiming to publish the National Infrastructure Strategy, including a response to the IFR, at the Budget in March 2020.

The interviews for the Chief Executive Officer for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust are taking place in January and an announcement will be made once an appointment has been confirmed.

The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has brought together all National Health Service and local authority organisations across the area served by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s two hospital sites. The STP has already brought the Future Fit hospital programme under its auspices as one element of the work to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. All STP members understand the critical interdependencies between primary and community care and acute hospital care, and the need to integrate services. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Long Term Plan sets out plans to implement the out of hospital transformation.

The Future Fit consultation has been subject to a robust assurance process and a thorough review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The long-term health benefits of the scheme include:

- Retention of a Trauma Unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH);

- Fewer cancellations of patients’ operations due to an emergency admission, as emergency and planned care will be separated;

- Access to non-complex planned care for 75% of patients within 30 minutes by car, and fewer people having to travel further for emergency care;

- Reduction in waiting times and the time patients spend in hospital;

- Improved services for the older population in Shropshire and mid-Wales;

- Improved facilities for patients and staff;

- Development of an integrated care system that joins up health and social care, transforming out of hospital care which integrates community place based, primary care, mental health, community services, social care and the voluntary sector; and

- The ability to develop a system infrastructure that makes the best use of resources, reduces duplication and achieves financial stability.

As part of the planning phase of the Future Fit programme, a Programme Execution Plan was agreed for the Future Fit Programme in 2013, with phase 1 commencing in October 2013.

The long-term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration will be identified as part of the business case process. The Strategic Outline Case is in development and is yet to be approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department.

The interviews for the Chief Executive Officer for Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust are taking place in January and an announcement will be made once an appointment has been confirmed.

The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership (STP) has brought together all National Health Service and local authority organisations across the area served by Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust’s two hospital sites. The STP has already brought the Future Fit hospital programme under its auspices as one element of the work to deliver the NHS Long Term Plan. All STP members understand the critical interdependencies between primary and community care and acute hospital care, and the need to integrate services. The Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Long Term Plan sets out plans to implement the out of hospital transformation.

The Future Fit consultation has been subject to a robust assurance process and a thorough review by Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The long-term health benefits of the scheme include:

- Retention of a Trauma Unit at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH);

- Fewer cancellations of patients’ operations due to an emergency admission, as emergency and planned care will be separated;

- Access to non-complex planned care for 75% of patients within 30 minutes by car, and fewer people having to travel further for emergency care;

- Reduction in waiting times and the time patients spend in hospital;

- Improved services for the older population in Shropshire and mid-Wales;

- Improved facilities for patients and staff;

- Development of an integrated care system that joins up health and social care, transforming out of hospital care which integrates community place based, primary care, mental health, community services, social care and the voluntary sector; and

- The ability to develop a system infrastructure that makes the best use of resources, reduces duplication and achieves financial stability.

As part of the planning phase of the Future Fit programme, a Programme Execution Plan was agreed for the Future Fit Programme in 2013, with phase 1 commencing in October 2013.

The long-term efficiency savings of the Future Fit reconfiguration will be identified as part of the business case process. The Strategic Outline Case is in development and is yet to be approved by NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Department.

The resource cost incurred on the reconfiguration work at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, which would have a cost to the public purse, borne by the Trust is not held centrally. The overall capital cost of the scheme is still being developed for the business case and costing includes a contingency for foreseeable cost increases, such as inflation. The preferred option in the Future Fit process will only be determined when the Strategic Outline Case is finalised and approved. The Strategic Outline Case is currently being considered by the Trust board and a draft version has been shared with the local clinical commissioning groups and NHS England and NHS Improvement.

For any capital scheme of this nature it is accepted that inflationary changes occur. Any increase in cost would apply to all options that were considered prior to consultation.

The resource cost incurred on the reconfiguration work at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, which would have a cost to the public purse, borne by the Trust is not held centrally. The overall capital cost of the scheme is still being developed for the business case and costing includes a contingency for foreseeable cost increases, such as inflation. The preferred option in the Future Fit process will only be determined when the Strategic Outline Case is finalised and approved. The Strategic Outline Case is currently being considered by the Trust board and a draft version has been shared with the local clinical commissioning groups and NHS England and NHS Improvement.

For any capital scheme of this nature it is accepted that inflationary changes occur. Any increase in cost would apply to all options that were considered prior to consultation.

The resource cost incurred on the reconfiguration work at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust, which would have a cost to the public purse, borne by the Trust is not held centrally. The overall capital cost of the scheme is still being developed for the business case and costing includes a contingency for foreseeable cost increases, such as inflation. The preferred option in the Future Fit process will only be determined when the Strategic Outline Case is finalised and approved. The Strategic Outline Case is currently being considered by the Trust board and a draft version has been shared with the local clinical commissioning groups and NHS England and NHS Improvement.

For any capital scheme of this nature it is accepted that inflationary changes occur. Any increase in cost would apply to all options that were considered prior to consultation.

The Clinical Commissioning Group’s (CCG) decision on the Future Fit scheme was taken on 29 January 2019. This decision was referred to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who sought advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. The Secretary of State’s decision was made on 2 October 2019 and was communicated to NHS England and NHS Improvement, CCGs and Telford and Wrekin Council.

Independent legal advice would need to be sought on the timings of bringing a challenge by way of judicial review.

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care referred the Future Fit scheme to the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP) for their expert advice on this matter. The IRP provided a full assessment of the Future Fit scheme, which took into account concerns about patient safety, and recommended that the new model of hospital care be implemented without delay.

On 2 October 2019, in line with the IRP’s recommendations, the Secretary of State decided that the emergency care centre should be located at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital whilst enabling as much clinically appropriate care as possible at the Princess Royal Hospital. He asked NHS England and NHS Improvement to work with the clinical commissioning groups and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to develop the accident and emergency local model.

Telford and Wrekin Council is an active member of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. It has been fully involved in and scrutinised the Future Fit process and provided formal feedback to the public consultation undertaken by the NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG. The outcome of the consultation was a decision to designate the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as an emergency care site and the Princess Royal Hospital a Planned Care site, with a 24-hour Urgent Care Centre at both hospitals.

The Council referred the Future Fit plans to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who requested advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision to locate the Emergency Care Centre for the region at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) open as an A&E Local. He asked NHS England to work with the CCGs and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to develop the A&E local model and to set out details on how the model could be delivered at PRH. The Secretary of State received these details from NHS England on 5 November 2019 and requested further work, including the implementation of the A&E local model, on 6 January 2020.

Clinicians have been involved in the Future Fit process from the outset and are fully supported in bringing about the necessary changes to local hospital services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

The consultation into the future of the hospitals in Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin has taken some time to conclude. This has been partly due to the robust nature of the assurance process and ensuring the views of the public and other stakeholders have been taken into account. CCGs have invested much time into this process to ensure that the right model was consulted on and people could have their say and their views considered. The process has also necessitated a revised business case to be submitted to NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The cost of the consultation process is in line with other similar consultations of this scale.

Ministers are not in a position to comment on the length of time taken by opponents of the Future Fit process for seeking legal advice on whether to proceed towards a judicial review.

Telford and Wrekin Council is an active member of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. It has been fully involved in and scrutinised the Future Fit process and provided formal feedback to the public consultation undertaken by the NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG. The outcome of the consultation was a decision to designate the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as an emergency care site and the Princess Royal Hospital a Planned Care site, with a 24-hour Urgent Care Centre at both hospitals.

The Council referred the Future Fit plans to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who requested advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision to locate the Emergency Care Centre for the region at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) open as an A&E Local. He asked NHS England to work with the CCGs and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to develop the A&E local model and to set out details on how the model could be delivered at PRH. The Secretary of State received these details from NHS England on 5 November 2019 and requested further work, including the implementation of the A&E local model, on 6 January 2020.

Clinicians have been involved in the Future Fit process from the outset and are fully supported in bringing about the necessary changes to local hospital services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

The consultation into the future of the hospitals in Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin has taken some time to conclude. This has been partly due to the robust nature of the assurance process and ensuring the views of the public and other stakeholders have been taken into account. CCGs have invested much time into this process to ensure that the right model was consulted on and people could have their say and their views considered. The process has also necessitated a revised business case to be submitted to NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The cost of the consultation process is in line with other similar consultations of this scale.

Ministers are not in a position to comment on the length of time taken by opponents of the Future Fit process for seeking legal advice on whether to proceed towards a judicial review.

Telford and Wrekin Council is an active member of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. It has been fully involved in and scrutinised the Future Fit process and provided formal feedback to the public consultation undertaken by the NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG. The outcome of the consultation was a decision to designate the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as an emergency care site and the Princess Royal Hospital a Planned Care site, with a 24-hour Urgent Care Centre at both hospitals.

The Council referred the Future Fit plans to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who requested advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision to locate the Emergency Care Centre for the region at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) open as an A&E Local. He asked NHS England to work with the CCGs and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to develop the A&E local model and to set out details on how the model could be delivered at PRH. The Secretary of State received these details from NHS England on 5 November 2019 and requested further work, including the implementation of the A&E local model, on 6 January 2020.

Clinicians have been involved in the Future Fit process from the outset and are fully supported in bringing about the necessary changes to local hospital services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

The consultation into the future of the hospitals in Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin has taken some time to conclude. This has been partly due to the robust nature of the assurance process and ensuring the views of the public and other stakeholders have been taken into account. CCGs have invested much time into this process to ensure that the right model was consulted on and people could have their say and their views considered. The process has also necessitated a revised business case to be submitted to NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The cost of the consultation process is in line with other similar consultations of this scale.

Ministers are not in a position to comment on the length of time taken by opponents of the Future Fit process for seeking legal advice on whether to proceed towards a judicial review.

Telford and Wrekin Council is an active member of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. It has been fully involved in and scrutinised the Future Fit process and provided formal feedback to the public consultation undertaken by the NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG. The outcome of the consultation was a decision to designate the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as an emergency care site and the Princess Royal Hospital a Planned Care site, with a 24-hour Urgent Care Centre at both hospitals.

The Council referred the Future Fit plans to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who requested advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision to locate the Emergency Care Centre for the region at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) open as an A&E Local. He asked NHS England to work with the CCGs and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to develop the A&E local model and to set out details on how the model could be delivered at PRH. The Secretary of State received these details from NHS England on 5 November 2019 and requested further work, including the implementation of the A&E local model, on 6 January 2020.

Clinicians have been involved in the Future Fit process from the outset and are fully supported in bringing about the necessary changes to local hospital services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

The consultation into the future of the hospitals in Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin has taken some time to conclude. This has been partly due to the robust nature of the assurance process and ensuring the views of the public and other stakeholders have been taken into account. CCGs have invested much time into this process to ensure that the right model was consulted on and people could have their say and their views considered. The process has also necessitated a revised business case to be submitted to NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The cost of the consultation process is in line with other similar consultations of this scale.

Ministers are not in a position to comment on the length of time taken by opponents of the Future Fit process for seeking legal advice on whether to proceed towards a judicial review.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has existed since 2003. In that time, one Chief Executive has resigned, one has retired and three have left to take up new positions with other organisations.

Telford and Wrekin Council is an active member of the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability and Transformation Partnership. It has been fully involved in and scrutinised the Future Fit process and provided formal feedback to the public consultation undertaken by the NHS Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS Telford and Wrekin CCG. The outcome of the consultation was a decision to designate the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital as an emergency care site and the Princess Royal Hospital a Planned Care site, with a 24-hour Urgent Care Centre at both hospitals.

The Council referred the Future Fit plans to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, who requested advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. On 2 October 2019 the Secretary of State communicated his decision to locate the Emergency Care Centre for the region at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital whilst keeping the accident and emergency (A&E) at the Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) open as an A&E Local. He asked NHS England to work with the CCGs and Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust to develop the A&E local model and to set out details on how the model could be delivered at PRH. The Secretary of State received these details from NHS England on 5 November 2019 and requested further work, including the implementation of the A&E local model, on 6 January 2020.

Clinicians have been involved in the Future Fit process from the outset and are fully supported in bringing about the necessary changes to local hospital services in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin.

The consultation into the future of the hospitals in Shrewsbury, Telford and Wrekin has taken some time to conclude. This has been partly due to the robust nature of the assurance process and ensuring the views of the public and other stakeholders have been taken into account. CCGs have invested much time into this process to ensure that the right model was consulted on and people could have their say and their views considered. The process has also necessitated a revised business case to be submitted to NHS England and NHS Improvement.

The cost of the consultation process is in line with other similar consultations of this scale.

Ministers are not in a position to comment on the length of time taken by opponents of the Future Fit process for seeking legal advice on whether to proceed towards a judicial review.

The new Chief Executive has been appointed and will take up her post in February 2020.

Healthcare providers are responsible for ensuring that they have the right level of staffing to provide high quality care. Health Education England (HEE) will work through its Local Education and Training Boards and others to ensure that there are sufficient nurses and other staff being trained to meet the needs of patients. The interim NHS People Plan, published on 3 June 2019, puts the workforce at the heart of the National Health Service and will ensure we have the staff needed to deliver high quality care. HEE will work with NHS England and NHS Improvement to understand the longer-term workforce implications of the NHS Long Term Plan. This will inform the final NHS People Plan, to be published in early 2020.

National Health Service providers (NHS trusts and foundation trusts) fund their spending via income mostly received from NHS commissioners in return for the provision of healthcare services to their local population, and therefore do not have an annual budget.

In the years requested the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has reported the following income for its services:

- 2004-05: Data is not held by the Department;

- 2009-10: Data is not held by the Department;

- 2014-15: £316.8 million; and

- 2017-18: £358.0 million.

The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. All regional countries are contracting parties to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) whose objectives include ensuring the safe and secure passage of air transport.

We are watching the developments on the ground very carefully, but it is fair to say that the Taliban are in control of the vast majority of Afghanistan and we have to adjust to the new reality we see on the ground.

The Foreign Secretary, at a NATO ministerial summit in Brussels earlier this year, took the opportunity to reiterate the UK's unwavering support for NATO as the bedrock of transatlantic security, and to support proposals that will strengthen the Alliance's response to a whole range of existing and emerging threats. This sits alongside the importance of working with non-NATO partners to tackle rising global challenges, including by engaging with European states such as Sweden and Finland, or Indo-Pacific ones like Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

As the Prime Minister announced on 19 August, UK aid to Afghanistan will double to £286 million this financial year, of which £30 million has been made available to humanitarian partners to support neighbouring countries which experience a significant increase in refugees. This money will be used to provide essential services and supplies such shelters and the setting up sanitation and hygiene facilities.

We are disappointed by the Universal Postal Union's resolution. The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814.

We are considering further the practical impact of the UPU resolution on the use of BIOT stamps for the BIOT postal service. UK stamps continue to be used for the UK military postal service, accessible to UK military and civilian contractors.

The FCDO's International Programme (IP), and within it the Gulf Strategy Fund (GSF), is a vital tool in promoting positive change and reforms across the world, including in the Gulf. Our programmes help our partners to continue their human rights reform, address key climate change and green growth opportunities and challenges, tackle illicit finance, improve marine conservation, promote economic diversification, promote diversity and inclusion including on LGBTQ+ rights, and develop their institutions.

All cooperation through the IP, including the GSF, is subject to rigorous risk assessments to ensure all work meets our human rights obligations and our values. The Government does not shy away from raising legitimate human rights concerns, and encourages other states to respect international law.

We now publish an annual summary of the GSF's work on gov.uk. We will not publish further information where doing so presents risks to our staff, programme suppliers and beneficiaries, or which may impact our relationships with our international partners, and therefore our ability to influence their reform efforts. We will provide updates on an annual basis.

The Government works closely with all our friends in the Gulf to strengthen our shared security and prosperity interests, including through dialogue to promote regional stability, initiatives to tackle illicit finance and terrorism, and defence cooperation.

Britain has strong bilateral trading relationships with the Gulf and it is already one of our largest export destinations, with total trade of over £30 billion in 2020. We are committed to broadening and deepening our shared economic interests further, including through government-to-government trade dialogues, and also within specific sectors following conclusion of the UK-GCC Joint Trade and Investment Review.

The UK warmly welcomed the normalisation agreements between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan. These are historic steps which see the normalisation of relations between friends of the UK. We also welcome the suspension of plans for Israeli annexation of the West Bank - a move the UK has opposed - as it would have been counterproductive to securing peace in the region.

Restoring cooperation is an important and constructive step towards peace, and shows both sides are willing to put the needs and security of both Israelis and Palestinians first. We need to build on this momentum through further dialogue and compromise to move towards a two state solution and a lasting solution to the conflict. The United Kingdom will continue to work towards a more peaceful and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

The UK warmly welcomed the normalisation agreements between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan. These are historic steps which see the normalisation of relations between friends of the UK. We also welcome the suspension of plans for Israeli annexation of the West Bank - a move the UK has opposed - as it would have been counterproductive to securing peace in the region.

Restoring cooperation is an important and constructive step towards peace, and shows both sides are willing to put the needs and security of both Israelis and Palestinians first. We need to build on this momentum through further dialogue and compromise to move towards a two state solution and a lasting solution to the conflict. The United Kingdom will continue to work towards a more peaceful and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.

We are proud to enjoy an excellent bilateral relationship with Israel. We welcome the formation of a new government, and look forward to working together closely to ensure the relationship goes from strength to strength. We engage frequently with the Government of Israel, and will continue to do so.

On 12 July, the UK was one of the first countries to publicly reaffirm the Cuban people's right to peaceful protest. Officials from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spoke to the Cuban Ambassador on the same day, urging respect for fundamental human rights. On 14 July, the British Ambassador in Havana met with officials in the Cuban Government and urged them to uphold freedom of expression in Cuba, including over government policy. We are clear that detention and imprisonment should not be used to restrict freedom of expression and assembly, and will continue to raise our concerns directly with the Cuban Government, and call for the authorities to release information on detained citizens.

The UK is concerned by the outbreak of violence and looting in South Africa in recent days, which has sadly resulted in injuries, loss of life, and substantial damage to buildings and businesses. As a long-standing friend of South Africa, our High Commission in South Africa raises issues of concern with the South African authorities where necessary, in particular where UK nationals are involved. We encourage British Nationals to check our Travel Advice pages, which we are regularly updating. The UK welcomes the South African government's efforts to restore stability and President Ramaphosa's emphasis on the importance of the rule of law. We will continue to work with South Africa as it deals with this violence and its efforts to address current social and economic challenges.

The UK is concerned by the outbreak of violence and looting in South Africa in recent days, which has sadly resulted in loss of life, injuries, and substantial damage to buildings and businesses. We strongly support President Ramaphosa's emphasis on the importance of the rule of law. As a long-standing friend of South Africa, the UK works closely with South Africa on a wide-range of areas including on security, health, economic and social issues. The British High Commission in South Africa raises issues of concern with the South African authorities where necessary, in particular where UK nationals are involved. We encourage British Nationals to check our regularly updated Travel Advice pages.

We are closely monitoring the situation in South Africa. The FCDO continues to advise against all but essential travel to the whole of South Africa based on current COVID-19 risks. We have been regularly updating FCDO Travel Advice during the recent unrest and have publicised consular contact details on social media. Our consular staff are contactable 24/7 for British Nationals directly affected by the protests and needing help.

The United Kingdom has no doubt about its sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the territory and we do not recognise its claim. However, the United Kingdom has a long-standing commitment, first made in 1965, to cede sovereignty of BIOT to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment, which has been found to be legally binding. Thus no recent assessment has been made of other options for ceding the territory.

The UK Government supports the aims of the Three Seas Initiative, which align closely with our own: building back better, addressing the drivers of climate change, and addressing our shared geopolitical challenges. The annual Three Seas Initiative Summit and Business Forum was held in Sofia, Bulgaria on 8-9 July. The Foreign Secretary addressed the Presidential Panel via video message and DIT Minister Graham Stuart led a UK Business Delegation to the Business Forum. The UK continues to explore options for deeper engagement with both the Initiative and the Fund, including sharing expertise on areas of UK excellence on digital, infrastructure, and clean energy.

The UK has repeatedly made it clear to the Government of Mauritius that the UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the territory of BIOT, which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the territory and we do not recognise its claim. However, we have a long-standing commitment, first made in 1965, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment. We are disappointed with the comments made by Prime Minister Jugnauth in October 2020 in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

FCDO travel advice differentiates within countries - including islands - where there is sufficient data to justify communicating specific, localised advice. Travel advice reflects assessments from Public Health England (PHE) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNaC), the organisations mandated to provide health advice to British nationals travelling overseas, and who assess the risk to an individual of exposure to COVID-19 in each country. Currently, the FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Greece, except for the islands of Rhodes, Kos, Zakynthos, Corfu and Crete, based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks. FCDO travel advice remains under constant review and is separate from the Department for Transport's Red, Amber and Green list rules for entering England as it also provides guidance on wider issues beyond COVID-19.

Many international ships, both military and commercial, travel through the Taiwan Strait and such actions are routine and non-contentious. All activities conducted by the Royal Navy are and will be in accordance with international law.

As the Foreign Secretary announced to the House in July 2020, work is underway to consider how an anti-corruption sanctions regime could be added to our armoury. Sanctions are powerful tools, capable of having a significant impact, and are complex to design. We are taking the time to ensure we get them right and will update Parliament in due course.

The UK Government publishes the UK sanctions list on GOV.UK website, which provides details of those individuals and entities designated under sanctions regulations made under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act. When the UK Government makes a decision to create, change or remove a sanctions designation, it will update the UK sanctions list. All designations will need to meet the legal tests as set out in the Sanctions Act, which includes ensuring designations are underpinned by robust evidence. As set out in the legislation, designation decisions are for the Secretary of State.

The Government is committed to maintaining strong relationships with our European partners, both bilaterally and through multilateral groups and arrangements. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is following the development of the Three Seas Initiative through our Embassies in the region, including by supporting UK business engagement with the Initiative. The FCDO is aware of interest in the Initiative on the part of a range of our international partners. We continue to engage with the Initiative and its member states, and are open to the possibility of deepening our interaction with it.

The collapse of government negotiations following the resignation of Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib is disappointing, as well as damaging for the long-suffering people of Lebanon. Lebanon's leaders must act in the national interest and urgently form a new government and implement reforms. The UK is a long-standing friend of Lebanon and the Lebanese people, and will be on hand now, as ever, to support them in their time of urgent need. I discussed these issues with the Lebanese Ambassador on 12 October.

The collapse of government negotiations following the resignation of Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib is disappointing, as well as damaging for the long-suffering people of Lebanon. Lebanon's leaders must act in the national interest and urgently form a new government and implement reforms. The UK is a long-standing friend of Lebanon and the Lebanese people, and will be on hand now, as ever, to support them in their time of urgent need. I discussed these issues with the Lebanese Ambassador on 12 October.

The collapse of government negotiations following the resignation of Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib is disappointing, as well as damaging for the long-suffering people of Lebanon. Lebanon's leaders must act in the national interest and urgently form a new government and implement reforms. The UK is a long-standing friend of Lebanon and the Lebanese people, and will be on hand now, as ever, to support them in their time of urgent need. I discussed these issues with the Lebanese Ambassador on 12 October.

We receive no financial payment from the US in relation to the UK/US military facility on Diego Garcia.

As part of the Royal Navy's persistent presence in the region, five ships have transited the South China Sea since April 2018, most recently HMS Enterprise in late 2019 and early 2020. These deployments have involved a range of defence engagement with regional partners, multilateral exercises and maritime surveillance including support for enforcing UNSCR sanctions on DPRK. These deployments also serve to reinforce our commitment to regional security and to upholding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The cost of this activity is met through the Defence budget. Wherever the Royal Navy operates, it does so in full compliance with international laws, norms and rights to freedom of navigation provided for by UNCLOS.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have responsibility for the statue of Sir Robert Clive, which is in the care of the English Heritage Trust.

The Government does not propose to remove statues or memorials on its property. We believe it is always legitimate to examine and debate Britain's history, but removing statues is not the right approach.

The FCO building in King Charles Street dates back to 1868. With such a long history there are elements that reflect artwork and individuals from a very different era. We are examining both what those elements are, and how best to address what they represent, while preserving history. This is under active consideration.

Sir Simon McDonald did not discuss with his counterparts in other Departments the potential removal of the statue of Sir Robert Clive.

We are not aware of a recent request from Cyprus to join NATO. Should such an application be received we would of course give it due consideration, taking into account NATO policies and practices. NATO's current Open Door policy states that membership is available to any European country in a position to undertake the commitments and obligations of membership.

We worked with the US authorities to arrange a repatriation flight for British nationals who were on the Grand Princess cruise ship, which landed at Birmingham Airport at 17:00 on 11 March. We liaised with the cruise company to ensure appropriate arrangements were in place to ensure passenger welfare and to get the passengers home safely. Public Health England advised all involved to self-isolate for 14 days and for COVID-19 tests to be arranged.

The UK remains concerned about the impact Nord Stream 2 will have on European energy security and on the interests of Ukraine. We continue to be supportive of initiatives that strengthen and diversify the supply of gas and competition across the European market. We engage regularly with our close allies and partners on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and European energy security more broadly.

There are currently no unilateral UK sanctions being imposed with respect to Nord Stream 2. ?During the transition period, the UK will continue to be bound by the EU sanctions regime.

The Government launched a consultation on its regulatory approach to cryptoassets and stablecoins on 7 January. This set out the view that stablecoins, which seek to stabilise their value, could be used as widespread means of payment and potentially deliver improvements in cross-border transactions. At the same time, depending on scale and nature of use, these developments could pose similar financial stability and consumer risks as traditional regulated payment systems.

The Government’s proposed approach would make sure stablecoins meet the same high standards we expect of other payment methods. The Government is considering responses and will outline next steps in due course. Any steps taken in light of this consultation will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.

Alongside this, the UK, like many countries globally, is actively exploring the potential role of central bank digital currencies: an electronic form of central bank money that could be used by households and businesses to make payments. The Bank of England published a discussion paper in March 2020, which considered the possibility of a retail central bank digital currency.

At Fintech Week 2021, the Chancellor announced a new Taskforce led by HM Treasury and the Bank of England to lead the UK’s exploration of a central bank digital currency, with separate forums to engage civil society and technology experts. The Taskforce aims to ensure a strategic approach is adopted between the UK authorities as they explore a central bank digital currency, in line with their statutory objectives, and to promote close coordination between them. The Government and the Bank of England have not yet made a decision on whether to introduce a central bank digital currency in the UK, and will engage widely with stakeholders on the benefits, risks and practicalities of doing so.

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is due on gains from cryptoassets held as investments which are taxed in line with CGT tax rates and exemptions rules as for other assets. The Self-Assessment form does not currently separate capital gains made on cryptoassets from other assets. As a result, a reliable estimate for Capital Gains Tax due from cryptoassets would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

Decentralised Finance (also known as DeFi) is a comparatively recent innovation with notable uptake during mid-2020. Amounts arising from decentralised finance are, generally, liable to either Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax. However, as with cryptoassets, the Self-Assessment form does not separate capital gains and/or income arising from decentralised finance. As a result, a reliable estimate of Capital Gains Tax or Income Tax collected from decentralised finance would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

Capital Gains Tax (CGT) is due on gains from cryptoassets held as investments which are taxed in line with CGT tax rates and exemptions rules as for other assets. The Self-Assessment form does not currently separate capital gains made on cryptoassets from other assets. As a result, a reliable estimate for Capital Gains Tax due from cryptoassets would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

Decentralised Finance (also known as DeFi) is a comparatively recent innovation with notable uptake during mid-2020. Amounts arising from decentralised finance are, generally, liable to either Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax. However, as with cryptoassets, the Self-Assessment form does not separate capital gains and/or income arising from decentralised finance. As a result, a reliable estimate of Capital Gains Tax or Income Tax collected from decentralised finance would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

The fiscal and economic impact of changes in the rate of Corporation Tax (CT) have been set out in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR’s) Economic and Fiscal Outlooks which are published alongside fiscal events.

The most recent forecast, published in March 2021, includes the revenue raised from the announcement made at Budget 2021: that the main rate will increase to 25% from April 2023, which is forecast to raise over £45 billion across the next 5 years.

This forecast incorporates adjustments to reflect behavioural responses from businesses to changes in the rate of CT.

The Government is committed to retaining its global leadership position in fintech and fully recognises its important role in delivering better financial services for people and businesses. The Government also believes that, in practice, this means creating a regulatory environment in which firms can innovate, while crucially maintaining the highest regulatory standards so that people can use new technologies both reliably and safely. This is essential for continuing confidence in the financial system more broadly.

On 10 January 2020, the FCA became the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing (AML/CTF) supervisor for cryptoassets firms. A robust AML regime for cryptoassets will help to bolster confidence in the UK as a safe and reputable place to start and grow a cryptoasset business.

To further protect consumers, the FCA has banned the sale of cryptoasset derivatives to retail consumers, and recently issued a warning stating that consumers who invest in cryptoassets should be prepared to lose their money.

The Government has also proposed several further changes to respond to cryptoassets. On 7 January launched a consultation on its regulatory approach to cryptoassets and stablecoins. This set out the view that new and emerging forms of cryptoassets, known as stablecoins, which seek to stabilise their value, could be used as widespread means of payment and potentially deliver improvements in cross-border transactions. At the same time, depending on scale and nature of use, these developments could pose similar financial stability and consumer risks as traditional regulated payment systems.

The Government is considering responses and will outline next steps in due course. Any steps taken in light of this consultation will aim to balance the potential risk to consumers with the ambition to foster competition and innovation in the sector.

This measure is being consider alongside a proposal to bring certain cryptoassets, including Bitcoin, into the scope of financial promotions regulation. This would ensure that relevant cryptoasset promotions are held to the same high standards for fairness, clarity, and accuracy that pertain in the financial services industry. The Government will be publishing its response in due course.

The UK has a strong monetary policy framework and the operationally independent Bank of England is responsible for inflation meeting its 2% target. The Bank of England expects the rise in inflation to be temporary, as they set out in the latest minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee, and expect it to return to its 2% target over their latest forecast.

The government’s priority is to continue to invest in the economy to support recovery from the pandemic, whilst also returning the public finances to a sustainable path once the economic recovery is durably underway. The Chancellor has highlighted that at our higher level of debt, the public finances are more vulnerable to changes in inflation and interest rates. That is why at the Budget in March, the government announced fiscal repair measures that take the public finances back toward a sustainable path in the medium term with debt broadly stable and the current budget moving close to balance.

The scheme rules make it clear that no grant is payable if the employer is not going to abide by the requirement to pay the furloughed employee 80% of their usual monthly wage (up to a cap of £2,500). HMRC have powers to check and recover any amounts claimed where the employee has not been paid enough.

If workers are concerned they are not receiving this, they should report their employer to HMRC via the online fraud reporting tool on the Government’s website, or use HMRC’s telephone-based fraud hotline. HMRC will continue to monitor claim data, compare against records of earnings and review reports to their fraud hotline.

The Government retains the right to audit retrospectively all aspects of the scheme with scope to claw back fraudulent claims.

The Government has provided enhanced support through business rates relief to businesses occupying properties used for retail, hospitality and leisure given the direct and acute impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those sectors.

A range of other measures to support all businesses, including those not eligible for the business rates holiday, such as wholesalers, has also been made available. On 8 July the Chancellor set out a package of measures to support jobs across the UK, including a Job Retention Bonus to help firms keep furloughed workers, and a new £2 billion Kickstart Scheme to create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people. The Chancellor has also announced a cut in VAT to 5% for accommodation, attractions and the hospitality sector.

The Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS) is designed to provide financial support to those who rely on self-employment as their main source of income. This aims to ensure the SEISS is targeted at those who need it the most. Many individuals earn small amounts of income from self-employment in addition to income from employment and other sources.

Self-employed individuals, including members of partnerships, are eligible for the SEISS if they have submitted their Income Tax Self Assessment tax return for the tax year 2018-19, continued to trade, and have been adversely affected by COVID-19. To qualify, their self-employed trading profits must be less than £50,000, with more than half of their income coming from self-employment. Some 95 per cent of people who receive the majority of their income from self-employment could benefit from this scheme.

Those with trading profits less than 50% of their total income may still benefit from other support, including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. Individuals may have access to a range of grants and loans depending on their circumstances, and the SEISS supplements the significant support already announced for UK businesses, including the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, Bounce Back Loans Scheme, and the deferral of tax payments.

In order to qualify for the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), more than half of an individual’s income must come from self-employment. Those who do not meet this criterion will not qualify for the scheme, although anyone requiring support before the beginning of June should have access to other measures appropriate to their individual circumstances. These measures include the relaxation of the earnings rules in Universal Credit.

Farmers in Shropshire and across the UK can benefit from the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Government to protect people and businesses against the current economic emergency. This includes £330 billion of government-backed and guaranteed loans through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Schemes, a Self-Employment Income Support Scheme to help self-employed individuals affected by the outbreak, and a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help businesses keep millions of people in employment.

Universal Credit is not available to people with capital over £16,000, to ensure support is targeted at those who most need it. However, if self-employed claimants have savings in their account that are to be used for business purposes, those will not be counted towards their capital limit. Claimants should make this clear in their Universal Credit application and online journal, and may be asked to prove it.

Many charities and social enterprises will benefit from the existing measures announced to support employers and businesses. Under these measures, like other businesses, charities can defer their VAT bills and pay no business rates for their shops next year. All charities are eligible for the job retention scheme and the right answer for many charities will be to furlough their employees with the government paying 80% of wages.

However, we know that some charities are providing critical services and wider support to vulnerable people and communities during the pandemic. On 8 April the Chancellor announced a £750 million package of support for charities providing key services and supporting vulnerable people during the Covid-19 crisis. This new package of support will enable such organisations to continue providing essential services to those most in need.

This funding package will help charities providing essential services to continue their operations and to weather the storm until we return to more normal times. Funding for charities will be made available in the coming weeks and further information will be announced on Gov.uk. The Government’s aim is to get funding to those in greatest need as soon as possible.

The Government is seeking to protect, as far as possible, people’s jobs and incomes. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will help employers to continue paying 80% of their employees’ wages and is open to individuals on any contract type who were on an employer’s PAYE payroll on or before 19 March 2020. To support those on low incomes through the outbreak the Government has also announced a package of temporary welfare measures, including an increase to the Universal Credit standard allowance and the working tax credit basic element.

A range of measures to support all businesses has been made available. These include the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, allowing businesses to benefit from loans of up to £5m, with the first 12 months of that finance interest free, and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help keep people in employment. This scheme means businesses can put workers on temporary leave and the government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2,500, providing they keep the worker employed. They will receive the grant from HMRC, and all UK organisations can self-certify that it has furloughed employees. The scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to March 1st.

The Government is deferring tax payments, through the Income Tax Self-Assessment (ITSA) and VAT system to help support businesses and the self-employed with cash flows. VAT payments due between now and mid-June will be deferred. No business will have to make a VAT payment to HMRC in that period. Income tax payments due in July 2020 under the Self-Assessment system will be deferred to January 2021, benefitting up to 5.7m self-employed businesses.

The Government has also announced it is delaying the reforms to the off-payroll working rules (IR35) from April 2020 to April 2021 and the reforms will be legislated for in the 2020 Finance Bill. This deferral has been announced in response to the spread of Covid-19, to help businesses and individuals deal with the economic impacts of the pandemic.

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme is available to self-employed individuals with an eligible business entity. By providing an 80% government guarantee on finance facilities up to £5 million, this scheme will help more businesses access the finance they need. The Government will not charge businesses for this guarantee, and will also cover the first 12 months of interest payments for businesses. For more information on the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme go to: www.British-business-bank.co.uk/CBILS.

The Minimum Income Floor will be temporarily relaxed for all self-employed UC claimants for 1 year from 6 April. This means a drop in earnings due to the economic impacts of Covid-19 will not affect the amount of UC a claimant receives. This goes further than the Budget announcement to temporarily relax the MIF only for claimants who are directly affected by Covid-19, which has already come into effect. For those directly affected or self-isolating, there will be no attendance requirements, and Universal Credit can be claimed online or via phone.

Self-employed people unable to work because they are directly affected by Covid-19 or self-isolating will be eligible for Contributory Employment and Support Allowance. This is now payable from the first day of sickness, rather than the eighth. Eligible claimants under 25 will be entitled to £57.90 per week, and over 25s £73.10 per week.

The Secretary of State for Education has announced the closure of schools, colleges and early years settings as part of the country’s ongoing response to coronavirus. However, parents whose work is critical to this response and who cannot keep their children safe at home are able to access educational provision.

The government is ensuring it is protecting, as far as possible, people’s jobs and incomes during this outbreak. Last week, we announced further measures, including a Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to support businesses who would otherwise have laid off employees, and we are in turn encouraging employers to support their staff by looking at this and other support being made available to them before they take the decision to make staff redundant.

We also announced additional support with housing costs, including a mortgage holiday, higher support for low income renters, and a pause on tenant evictions, and support for low income households, including those on Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit. These measures will benefit many families, including single parents.

Guidance on the government’s response to coronavirus, including for parents and employers, is available at gov.uk/coronavirus.